Winter's Heart
by shadowriter89
Summary: AU:  When the Gods war, mortals are caught in the crossfire. Elsa wishes to protect those who worship her, especially a young auburn haired girl with a kind heart and a pure soul. ELSANNA, not incest
1. The Dire Wolf

A/N: So this is the first time I've written anything like this, it's pretty AU. If anyone who reads this is actually knowledgeable about Nordic and/or Celtic mythology, I apologize in advance since I butcher it about as much as Disney did with Greek mythology in Hercules. One thing to note: In Nordic mythology, Gods could die in battle. I've carried on this concept in the story. I hope you enjoy this, and would appreciate any constructive criticism or suggestions you might have. No flaming please

* * *

Odin rubbed his forehead in frustration. He couldn't say for sure how long current argument had been going on between the Gods of the North and the South, but their constant bickering was beginning to try his nerves. They had been feuding for centuries and at one point there had even been war between the two factions. He was doing what he could to prevent that from happening again, but he feared it was inevitable. He'd brought the entire Pantheon together to the Great Hall in an attempt to come to an agreement, however he was starting to lose patience with both sides.

"Enough," he roared, rising from his throne, abruptly silencing both sides. "I have had about as much of this as I can take!"

"Well, if the Northerners weren't so unreasonable…" Adelric, representing the South, trailed off. The God of Summer wore a condescending smirk.

"I hardly think asking you control your baser urges to be unreasonable," came the heated response. Adelric looked over to the speaker just to be met with a pair of angry ice blue eyes.

"Elsa, so judgmental," he replied with a smug smile. He had never liked the Winter Goddess and relished any opportunity to go after her. "You act as if it is our fault those mortals are so… tempting…"

"Temptation is not the issue here," Odin interrupted, "for no one can escape its whispers. The standard by which we are judged by is how we fight its calling."

"That's just it," Elsa said angrily, "they don't even try to fight it, they just take! They act as if it is their right to use humans as they see fit, damn the costs!"

"The strong always conquer the weak," Adelric, replied. "They should be grateful we give their meaningless lives purpose."

"Is there nothing you will do to stop this," Elsa asked, turning to face Odin.

He sighed heavily as he sat back into his throne. "You already know the answer," he said wearily. "I do not approve of interfering with the mortals, however, I will not condemn what Adelric and his brethren have done. It is not my place to dictate what is done in their domain."

"So be it," Elsa said, disappointed in her old friend. She turned to face the Gods and Goddess who stood with her to make sure they were in agreement. She made eye contact with her brother who stood at her side. He gave her a small smile that helped boost her confidence. Stealing herself, she turned to address Odin and the Southern deities. "Then in protest the Gods of the North remove themselves from the Pantheon." She paused at the collected gasp of everyone present. She turned to Odin, matching the anger in his eyes with her hard expression. "We cannot stand by as these abuses continue. If the Pantheon refuses to do what is right, we will remove ourselves from it."

"You would start a war," Odin thundered.

"No, we leave in peace," Elsa stated calmly. "Any war that may come will not be started by us. I cannot change what is done in another's domain, but I will not allow it in mine."

"Is that a threat, Huntress," Adelric asked with a smirk.

"As you are aware," Elsa answered calmly, "the bow I carry is not just for show." The God of Summer narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Elsa, Goddess of Winter, the Hunter, and Death, always carried a black longbow and a quiver of arrows. She had been known to use it to slay immortals who would threaten the people who worshiped her, and during the great war she had personally slew Adelric's parents with several well placed arrows.

"Are you sure this is the path you wish to take," Odin asked.

"It is."

"Very well," he sighed. He watched Elsa lead her supporters out of the hall that had grown completely silent as Adelric and his brothers sent venomous looks to the Northern deities. He feared despite the Winter Goddess' promise of peace that war was on the horizon, and it would be the mortals she wished to protect who would suffered…

* * *

Anna quickly ran and hid behind a tree, trying to outsmart her older brother. She was supposed to be helping Kristoff with chores around the farm. When he wasn't looking she slipped away to explore the woods surrounding her home. She didn't understand why it was such a big deal for her to go play outside; she was too small to help out much anyway. She looked around and tried to control her breathing as she heard her brother get closer. It was only the middle of fall, but already the trees were completely bare and the threat of snow was ever-present. There were rumors that to the south the opposite was true, that they seemed to be in the midst of an unending summer.

The priests at the temple warned of trouble in the Pantheon as the reason. They said the Adelric, God of Summer and patron to the southern kingdoms along with his twelve brothers had declared war against Skadi, the Goddess of Winter and the other deities of the North. The priests had no answer as to what could have started this feud, however, warned of dark days to come. Some of the villagers started to grumble about this. "The Gods feud and us mortals are caught in the crossfire," Anna overheard a passerby rant. Personally, Anna hoped the warnings were true, she much preferred the winter months to the summer. She loved playing in the snow and making snowmen.

"Anna! Come on! I don't have time for your games," Kristoff shouted, forcing Anna back to the task at hand. He was only two years older than her, but liked to act like he was already a man and was so much better than her. It was for this reason she enjoyed getting the better of him. Speaking of which…

She managed to control her breathing and remain still as her brother walked right past where she was hiding. She brought her mittened hands to her mouth to help stifle a snicker. The ten year old didn't want to give herself away when she was this close to freedom.

Once she was sure he was out of earshot she took off in the opposite direction, her long auburn braids flowing behind her as she ran. She took care to make sure the cloak she wore to block the chill didn't catch on anything, but that distracted her from watching for obstacles in her path. She didn't see the tree root sticking up from the ground, and next thing she knew she tripped and slid forward on the dead leaves.

"Oww," Anna whined as she sat up on her knees and rubbed the elbow that had taken the brunt of her fall. It was then she heard a whimper nearby. She looked around and saw a young wolf shaking in fear hiding under a fallen log. "Hey little guy," Anna said moving towards the pup, pain in her elbow quickly forgotten. The wolf was covered in black fur, almost completely blending to the darkness of the log. In fact, if it hadn't been for the bright blue eyes, she would never have seen the wolf at all. In her excitement she rushed the pup with her usual grace, or rather lack thereof, causing her to trip once more. Scared, the wolf backed up further to get away from the strange human. Anna got up and forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath, extended her left hand, and said softly, "It's ok lil' guy, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The wolf still looked frightened as Anna moved closer. "You can sniff me, it's ok. Promise I won't move too fast, which is really hard for me as you just saw. I always try to be careful, but I just get too excited. But I promise I'll try real hard to go slow cause I think you're adorable and I don't want to scare you. Are you hungry," she asked as she inched closer. "I don't got a lot, but I don't mind sharing. It's just a piece of venison jerky I swiped from my brother when he wasn't paying attention. Honestly, I think it's kinda gross, but it's funny to see him get mad when he sees I've taken it." Anna giggled at the thought of Kristoff's face when he realized not only she slipped by him, but got his jerky as well. With her free hand she slowly opened the satchel that was hidden by her grey cloak and pulled out the jerky. The wolf immediately started sniffing the air and zeroed in on her hand. "Here ya go," Anna said extending the food.

The pup cautiously left the safety of the shadows, eyes darting between Anna and the jerky. He was bigger than she had initially thought, looking closer to the size of a herding dog. She could tell he was still young, despite his size. When the wolf was just out of arms reach, he refused to get any closer, just looking at the food and whining. Taking pity on the hungry animal, Anna gently tossed the jerky towards him. She watched the wolf quickly lunge for the piece before taking it and running off. Anna smiled to herself as she watched the black fur blend in with the shadows cast by the trees in the waning light.

"ANNA!"

Uh-oh, this time it was her mother voice, best to be off before Papa came looking for her. She turned to run towards her home, but not before casting one last look back in the direction the wolf had run off. "Don't worry lil' guy," she said softly, "I promise I'll bring more tomorrow."

The next day she returned to the log with more jerky. The wolf was nowhere to be found, although Anna could have sworn she felt someone watching her the entire time. She looked around for a bit before giving up and leaving the jerky by the log she had found the wolf the day before.

When she came back the day after, with more food in hand (just in case) she saw the food she left previously was gone. Smiling, she crouched down to put more in its place. As she rose, she saw ice blue eyes watching her from under a rock ten feet away. Anna backed away slowly to show she wasn't a threat as the pup came out of his hiding spot to sniff what she had left. Never taking his eyes off her he grabbed it and ran off again.

This trend continued for over a week until one day she came by with her normal delivery in a small cloth sack just to see a trout sitting where she normally left food. Confused, she put down her bundle to pick up the fish and examine it. Feeling eyes on her, she turned to see the wolf in the shadow of a large tree watching her intently. As soon as their eyes meet, he got an almost hopeful expression and his tail started wagging. Anna smiled and taking a piece of jerky out of the bag held it out to the wolf. This time, he came right up to her, took the food from her hand before sitting next to her.

"Hi there," she said, goofy smile plastered on her face. "I'm Anna, it's nice to finally see you up close." His intelligent eyes seemed to be studying her at the same time she was looking him over. "You need a name," Anna said decisively. "I would have done it sooner, but every time I see you you're always hiding in the shadows… Hey! That's it! I'll call you Shadow! How's that sound?" He seemed to huff in approval before rolling on his back, exposing his neck. Anna was speechless, her father trained the village war dogs; she knew this move was extremely significant. She fought back tears as she looked over the wolf's belly, where she discovered with some amusement that she'd been making a mistake. "Oops," she said with a small giggle, "guess I should've been calling you lil' girl, not lil' guy."

Behind her a twig snapped, causing Shadow to immediately bolt up and getting between Anna and the noise. The wolf crouched and started growling low, hackles raised. Just then Kristoff came through the tree line. "Anna! Is this where you've been running off every…" His sentence trailed off as he noticed the wolf snarling at him.

"Shadow, no! It's ok, that's just my stupid brother," Anna said quickly before the situation got worse. The wolf, reading Anna's reaction to know he wasn't a threat, relaxed somewhat, but still kept an eye on Kristoff.

"Anna, what the name of all the gods are you doing," her brother demanded, keeping a nervous eye on the animal. "Do you have any idea what that is?"

"Her name is Shadow," Anna answered definitely.

"She's a dire wolf," Kristoff explained. "You can tell by her black coloring. If the village council finds out about her they'll send out a hunting party to kill her."

"No," Anna cried, wrapping her arms around the wolf. In response to her distress, Shadow started grumbling low in her throat.

"Listen to me," Kristoff pleaded earnestly, "she's going to get bigger, much bigger. She's already the size of a war hound, by the time she's fully grown she'll be the size of a colt. The last time a dire wolf was near the village, it attacked the sheep herds and even killed a few children."

"Shadow would never do that," Anna insisted, tears spilling.

"But the village elders won't take any chances. Do you love Shadow," Kristoff asked, kneeling in front of his sister while still keeping a safe distance from the wolf.

"Yes…"

"Then you have to let her go. It's the only way to keep her safe."

"Ok," hiccupped through tears. She could feel her heart breaking as she looked at wolf that had become such a large part of her life after such a short time. Shadow sensed her sadness and let out a small cry before nuzzling Anna's face. "Bye Shadow," she whispered around her tears. "I'll never forget you."

"Go on," Kristoff said quietly. "I'll make sure she moves on."

"Promise you won't hurt her," Anna demanded, her arms still around the wolf's neck.

"I promise," he replied, placing a hand over his heart. "Besides, you can see I'm unarmed. There's no way I could take on a dire wolf with my bare hands."

Satisfied her brother wouldn't harm her friend, she squeezed Shadow on last time before running off without looking back.

Both wolf and boy watched her leave before Kristoff turned to the animal. "They say dire wolves are the most intelligent animals in the forest; that you are clever enough to speak and wise enough to know not to. That's what my Nan used to say, anyway." He watched as the wolf seemed to huff in approval. "You understand that I don't want to hurt you, right? This isn't personal, but the village elders won't let you be. You have to run, do you understand?" She whined and started to paw the ground in the direction Anna ran, clearly wanting to go after.

Kristoff watched, saddened he couldn't take Shadow with him, the connection to his sister was obvious. If things could have been different, she would have been loyal companion and protector for his little sister. "They'll punish her, you know," he said softly. Shadow's eyes immediately snapped to his and she let out a small growl. "The law is clear, we cannot allow a dire wolf to live near the village. After they kill you, they'd punish her for taking care of you. And me, if it matters to you, for not telling anyone I saw you. Do you understand now? For Anna's sake, you have to run."

The wolf gave a small cry before getting up and slowly starting off in a direction opposite from the path Anna took. Kristoff watched her trudge away with sad eyes, before looking down and seeing the small sack Anna had initially brought up. He opened it and let out a small laugh when he saw his jerky. 'So that's where it's all been going,' he ruefully thought to himself. He looked at the wolf's retreating form before making a split decision.

"Wait," he called out as he stood and reached into the satchel he always had on him. He pulled out a few more pieces and added it to the ones Anna had stolen from him. He slowly approached the wolf who was watching him closely and held out the sack. "May the Gods guide your path."

The wolf seemed to judge him for a long minute before reaching out and gently taking the sack between her teeth. She turned and headed out deep into the woods, quickly vanishing into the shadows. Kristoff stood there for a long moment before heaving a sigh and heading home to comfort his sister.

A/N 2: Bonus points if you catch the Dragon Age reference. And yes, I stole the dire wolf from Game of Thrones


	2. Realities of War

Kristoff was hiding in a cave, knees to his chest, sobbing. He covered his face as he cried, ashamed of his weakness. He had been so excited this morning, finally earning the right to ride off with his father to protect his village. His chest was puffed out as he rode next to his father believing nothing could ruin this glorious moment. What a fool he had been!

The scouts had been warning of bandits pillaging nearby, so when word of an attack on a caravan reached the village a call went out for volunteers to end the threat. Most of the warriors were gone, having been summoned to the Lord to whom the village had sworn its fealty, so every able body was needed. Even the priests answered the call.

Kristoff remembered his father arguing with the holy men, saying that they were ill prepared to take on this threat. It was the head priest and servant of Skadi who had cut off his father's objections. He rode astride a majestic white horse, looking more warrior than priest with a great sword the size of Kristoff on his back.

"What be your objections, Hound Master," the deep baritone of the priest asked, using his father's official title. "The scouts say every able body is needed. You even have your boy ready to ride, and he hasn't even seen 13 winters."

"My son has been trained to be a warrior since he was strong enough to wield a practice blade," his father had responded coolly.

"As have we," the priest replied with a smirk. "I'll remind you, Hound Master, very few who join the cloth do so out of genuine piety. Many have a colorful past and found needed refuge in joining our respective orders. Fear not," he said quickly before another objection could be raised, "the Gods will be our shield."

"And what will you do when that shield is not enough," his father asked, patience near its end.

"Why, that is where our swords begin," the priest said with a laugh as he spurred his horse to join the riders, the other priests following.

As they rode out to the last reported location, Kristoff started daydreaming. He imagined a glorious battle, bandits falling left and right to his skill. They would battle all day, with the climax at sunset. It would just be him and the bandit leader in an epic duel that would be remembered for ages to come. 'Kristoff the Mighty' they would call him, or maybe 'Kristoff the Bandit Slayer'. Or perhaps just 'Slayer'… he liked the sound of that last one. He pictured himself in gleaming silver armor, riding through cheering cities on the back of Sven, his trusty reindeer, as the sun shone brilliantly on his golden hair…

That was another lifetime ago. Now here he hid like a coward in a cave under his cloak, not even sure if his father or any of the riders from his village were still alive. Funny how he never realized before now that death was a very real possibility.

They arrived at the downed caravan before noon. Kristoff hadn't even realized they were there, that is until the smell of rotting flesh hit his nostrils. He immediately dismounted his horse and went to vomit his breakfast behind the nearest tree. As soon as he finished, he wiped his mouth, hoping he could salvage his pride and no one heard him. He looked up at the tree not five feet away and screamed like a child. A boy who looked barely older than him was facing him, dead eyes staring into his. The bandits had tied the boy's hands behind his back and then used arrows and short swords to pin him to the tree.

Kristoff's father and the other men rushed over as soon as they heard his cry. To Kristoff's relief, they all seemed to ignore his cowardice and instead focused on pulling the boy down. All, that is, except the priest to the Winter Goddess, who came to stand next to him.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," his gruff voice said quietly for only Kristoff to hear, "not a man here hasn't done the same when hit smell of rotted human flesh the first time. It's not natural for us, and our bodies react as such. And what these animals did to that child… None of us looks down on you. What these men did is evil, and the Gods themselves will see them punished for this. You've done nothing for which you should feel ashamed."

"Yes sir," Kristoff muttered quietly.

"Kristoff," his father bellowed.

"Here I am," he said, running up, averting his eyes from the lifeless body the men had finally gotten down.

"There's nothing you need to see here. Tend to the horses."

"But father…"

"Don't argue with me boy," his father said sternly.

"Yes father," he said dejectedly, heading back out to the horses left just outside the remains of the caravan.

As soon as he stepped out of view of the men he heard someone give a war cry. By the time he turned around, he heard someone shout ambush and the first telltale sounds of metal striking to indicate swords clashing. Before he knew what he was doing he took off running. It wasn't he'd gotten a quarter mile he realized he left his sword on his horse; another half mile and he decided he never wanted to touch another blade again.

He had gotten disoriented in his rush to get away from the battle and had no idea where he was. As night started to descend he managed to find a cave that seemed to be well hidden. After quickly checking it to make sure it was empty, he sat down just inside the mouth, making sure he was out of view from anyone who happened by. It was a cold night, but he didn't dare light a fire, he wouldn't chance the bandits seeing it. Wrapping himself tighter in his fur lined cloak he rested his head on the wall of the cave trying to clear his head.

Just before sleep claimed him, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and knew he was being watched. He had left his sword, but still had his dagger on his belt and slowly moved his hand to the hilt. Once he had it in his hands, he quickly withdrew it and shot up into a crouching position to attack whoever was watching him. He was a disgrace for his actions today, first vomiting, then screaming, and finally running instead of fighting at his father's side; but he refused to die a coward. He was ready to lunge when he saw who was watching him: a young girl about his sister's age. She stood there shivering in a ripped undershirt that was obviously meant for a grown man and pants with gaping holes in the legs. She didn't have anything to cover her bare feet. It looked as if she hadn't bathed in weeks judging by the dirt caked to her body and her matted hair that in the dark it appeared to be either black or dark brown. She had blue eyes that were wide with fear.

Kristoff quickly straightened and put his knife away before holding his hands up and quickly saying, "It's ok, I won't hurt you." The girl seemed to look him over before relaxing slightly, although still wary of him. He was immediately gripped with an urge to banish the look of fear and protect her. "You must be cold," he said, reaching up to remove his cloak. "You can wear this if you want. I got warm clothes underneath." He held it out to her, and she cautiously looked him over before taking it and wrapping it around herself. It wasn't a complete lie, he did have a long sleeved shirt and a short sleeved one under that, however, it wasn't as warm as he'd let on and he immediately missed the warmth of the cloak.

"Are you hungry," he asked, reaching into the pack at his waist, trying to fight off the shivers that were already starting to rack his body and grab the food he knew was in there. His mother and sister had packed it for him this morning, knowing he'd be too excited to remember to do it. He was in such a rush he didn't even say goodbye or thank them. 'And now I'll never have the chance…' he thought sadly before shaking his head to clear those thoughts. "It's not a lot, but you can have some if you want." He held out a piece of flat bread and hard cheese, which she took wordlessly, still holding the cloak together in one hand.

Kristoff slowly sat back down while the girl just stood there watching him. "You can sit next to me, if you like. Or you can sit on the other side of the cave. Whatever you're most comfortable with," he said, the words feeling weak to his own ears. The girl just looked him over again before coming to sit next to him. He smiled down at her as he ate what was left, which honestly wasn't much, everyone had expected to be back by dinner. All he had was a piece of flat bread and some venison jerky, which he quickly finished. He felt his stomach rumble, and wished he had thought to pack more. The girl had also eaten her meal quickly and looked over at him when she heard his stomach.

"Sorry about that," he said with a slight wince.

She quietly reached into a pocket of the ripped pants and pulled out a small sack that Kristoff instantly recognized. She opened it, revealing four strips of venison jerky and handed him 2 pieces.

"Where did you get this," he asked, trying not to sound harsh or ungrateful. The girl just shrugged and looked away, fear starting to show in her face again.

"Thank you for sharing," Kristoff quickly said, trying to get her to relax again. She just nodded her head and kept looking away. "My name is Kristoff, in case you were wondering. I'm sorry I pulled a knife on you earlier, I was just running from some bandits, and I when I sensed someone standing there, I thought it might be them, and I got scared…" His voice started to crack and he had to look away as he fought off tears. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see the girl staring up at him, deep blue eyes showing understanding. He gave her a tight smile before bringing one of the strips of jerky to his mouth.

They ate in silence before the girl pulled the cloak from around her shoulders and spread it over both of them and snuggled into Kristoff's side. He just smiled and put his arm around her, falling into a light sleep.

It felt like minutes later he was jolted awake, although judging the light pouring into the mouth of the cave he had slept through the night. He looked down to see the girl from the night before curling closer, trembling as she looked towards the front of the cave in fear. Kristoff tried to sense what had frightened her when he heard it: very soft rustling sounds, as if someone was trying to sneak up on them. The fear from the previous day invaded, causing him to immediately lock up. He fought back a whimper as an image of the boy in the tree and memories of the smell came slamming to the surface. Just as he felt as if the fear would smother him, he felt the girl next to him shuddered again and remembered the feeling from the night before to protect her. Finding his resolve, he quietly stood and removed his dagger, signaling to the girl to remain hidden.

He pressed himself the wall on the mouth of the cave, it stuck out enough to hide him in the shadows and still allow him to peer out to see whoever was approaching. After an endless minute a figure emerged. He was at least two feet taller than Kristoff with a scar dominating the left side of his face and long red natty looking hair loosely tied back. He fit the descriptions of the bandit leader and it was obvious he'd recently seen combat. He had most of his left arm wrapped and Kristoff could see blood sweeping out of a wound that had been on his right side that was visible through a large blood stained cut in his shirt.

"I know you're in there girlie," he shouted out in a funny accent Kristoff didn't recognize. "I tracked ya' all the way 'ere, now come on out and make it easy on the both of us. I 'romise ya' it wonnit be pleasant if I gotta drag ya' all the way back to the Highlands."

"You'll not touch her," Kristoff declared with a confidence he didn't feel as he left his hiding spot to block the cave's entrance.

The bandit leader seemed shocked to see Kristoff, before a slimy smile invaded his face. "You the one that got away yesterday are ya' boyo? Shoulda kept runnin' like the coward ya' are instead of taking up with the likes o' 'er."

"You'll not touch her," Kristoff repeated, revealing the dagger in his right hand as he crouched, ready to attack.

"I won't 'ave some whelp barely off 'is mother's tit cheat me outta King Fergus's ransom," he said, drawing his sword and charging Kristoff. If he'd been expecting an easy kill, he was mistaken.

His father had always taught him to use misdirection and take advantage of an enemy's weakness. The bandit was injured and judging by his run wasn't able to move well as he was used to. Kristoff had placed the dagger in his right hand to mislead the bandit into thinking that was the one he would fight with. Although fully capable of using his right, he was left hand dominant. As soon as the bandit was close enough, he rolled away to give him a better angle to the bandit's injury, and switched the dagger from his right hand to his left as the bandit's sword slammed on the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, Kristoff pressed his advantage and jammed his dagger as deep as he could into the wound on bandit's side. As he howled in pain, the bandit managed to backhand Kristoff to the ground, leaving the dagger jammed in his side.

"Shouldnnit 'ave done that boyo," the bandit panted, advancing on Kristoff, a murderous look in his eye. "I'll skin ya' real good fo' that." He raised his sword, but before he could bring it down, something hit the side of his head, distracting him. Acting on instinct, Kristoff shot up, grabbed the dagger out of his side and slammed it into the bandit's throat. The bandit turned shocked eyes to him as he started spitting up blood before crashing to the ground, the life leaving his body.

Kristoff looked over to the cave to see the girl standing there, rocks in her hand that she'd thrown at the bandit to distract him. He tried to say something, when he was interrupted by more rustling in the foliage surrounding the cave. Grabbing the sword dropped by the bandit, Kristoff turned to face whatever threat emerged.

"Easy there, boy," said a deep voice he instantly recognized. A second later the high priest of Skadi came into view, flanked on either side by two other priests, all of three of them with weapons at the ready. He tried to speak, but only managed to make a small noise before collapsing to the side and vomiting what little was in his stomach. "That's it boy, let it out," the priest said, crouching next to him and putting a hand on his back. "You've done well, you're father will be proud."

"He's alive," Kristoff chocked out between dry heaves.

"He's alive," the priest confirmed with a smile. "He was injured in the ambush, but he'll survive. Maybe he'll finally listen to the healer and rest once we get you back to the village."

Kristoff stood and felt a presence behind him. He turned to see the girl hiding at the mouth of the cave, his cloak wrapped tightly around her, frightened of the men who had appeared out of nowhere.

"And who do we have her," the priest asked kindly, noticing her. He saw how frightened she was and didn't want to distress her further.

Kristoff held out his hand to her, and she tentatively walked out to him. She took his hand and curled into his side as he spoke, "The bandits were after her, something about getting a ransom from a King Fergus of the Highlands." He noticed the looks exchanged between the men. "I need to take her back to the village."

"Of course," the priest replied. "I'm sure we'll find a family to take her in, if not the temple, until we can find her family…"

"No," Kristoff said firmly. "I'm taking her to my home while the elders figure out what to do."

The priest looked from Kristoff to the girl before looking back to him. They locked eyes for a minute before the priest gave him a small smile and said, "As you say, young warrior."


	3. A New Friend

A/N: Thank you to everyone who left a review and followed this story! I appreciate all the support!

* * *

"Here ya go," Anna said cheerfully, holding out a blanket for her new friend. Well, she wasn't her friend yet, but that wouldn't be too hard to change. The girl who'd come home with Kristoff was sitting in front of the fire in the main room wearing some of Anna's clothes.

As soon as Kristoff had come through the door, Anna had practically tackled him in her excitement to see him home safe. Their mother had grabbed him before he'd even fully recovered from Anna's attack and held on tight, not even bothering to hide her tears. After assuring his mother that he was fine, he gently extracted himself to introduce the girl who had been hiding behind him, wrapped tightly in her brother's cloak.

With soft words and gentle movements, her mother convinced the girl to take her hand and follow her to the washroom to scrub away and all the dirt and grime. The girl's clothes were unsalvageable, so without prompting Anna decided to give up some of hers. After going over her rather small wardrobe, she decided on a simple blue dress. It was one of her nicest (and favorite) dresses, but she knew that her soon to be friend would look good in it. Besides, Anna had hit a growth spurt recently and the dress was starting to get a little small. The other girl was smaller and was sure to get some wear out of it. At least, that's what Anna told herself as she knocked quietly on the washroom door, nervously waiting for her mother to answer. After a beat, her mother's head popped out, staring down questioningly at her daughter.

"For her," Anna said simply, holding the clothes out.

"Anna, that's one of your favorite dresses," her mother said, surprise coloring her voice as she took her daughter's offering.

"She needs it," Anna said with a shrug. She couldn't figure out why her mom seemed to be fighting tears. After she composed herself, her mother asked, "Could you go get some blankets for our guest? She's about done, and may want them as she warms by the fire."

"Ok Mama," Anna said excitedly, happy to be helping for once instead of being in the way.

That had been over an hour ago, and now both girls sat in front of the fire, wrapped in blankets. Kristoff and her papa had ridden out to the village square to meet with the village elders. Just as well, Kristoff kept hanging around her new soon to be friend and being way too over protective. Now was the best chance for them to talk before everyone came back.

"So…" Anna said, trying to break the silence, "you're really quiet. Not that it's a bad thing," Anna quickly covered once she realized what she'd said and saw the girl flush with embarrassment. "Honestly, I talk too much, probably enough for the both of us, and wanted to be friends, but it's hard to do that when we don't even talk to each other, not that we would need to all the time, just enough to get to know each other… ya know?" Anna wanted to kick herself. She hated how she rambled all the time and now this girl probably thinks she's crazy.

"I would really like to be your friend," the girl said so quietly that Anna had almost missed it. She had turned her head to meet Anna's gaze, her expressive dark blue eyes hopeful. The girl spoke with an accent Anna had never heard before. She decided she liked it.

"Really," Anna asked excitedly. "Well, friends start off by telling each other their names. Mine's Anna. What's yours?"

"It doesn't matter," the girl said sadly, turning back to the fire. "Everyone who knew it is dead."

Anna didn't know what to say to help her new friend feel better. Suddenly she got an idea. "Then I'll just have to give you one," Anna stated. This got the girls attention, and caused her to look at Anna again. "That way you don't have to think about your old one and all the bad memories attached to it."

"Ok," she responded softly.

"Yay," Anna squealed happily, glad she could help. "I'm the best friend-namer ever, promise. Now let's see… You have this look about you, almost royal," Anna said, looking her over closely. Despite the sorrow that was clearly etched on her features, there was also a commanding bearing; like she could lead an army one day if she wanted. "You'll need a name that sounds authoritative, but also approachable… I know! Alexandra!" She seemed to like it, so Anna added on, "That way I can call you Ally for short! What do you think?"

She seemed to think it over before saying softly, "I think I'd prefer-"

The rest of her sentence got cut off by the front door opening. Both girls whipped around to see Anna's papa and brother, as well as the high priest of Skadi. Anna saw her new friend shrink back a little in fear at all the attention directed at her, so she stuck her hand out and quietly grabbed one of hers and squeezed lightly. Her friend never took her eyes off the men, but did return the squeeze.

Kristoff was the first to leave the doorway and walk over. He felt a spike of unreasonable jealousy that his sister was holding the other girl's hand, but he managed to push it down as he approached. He crouched next to her on the other side of Anna, so the two were flanking her. "The priest is here to talk to you about finding your family," Kristoff explained softly.

"You can call me Baldar, young one," the priest said taking a seat in front of the trio. He made sure to sit far enough away to keep her from feeling trapped. "Can you tell me what I may call you?"

She looked at Anna for a moment before answering. "Alex. It's short for Alexandra." Anna did her best to keep from breaking into a huge smile.

"Alex is it," the priest questioned, rubbing his chin. "Now that doesn't sound like a name from the Highlands."

"It isn't. You didn't ask my name, just what to call me."

"Right you are," Baldar replied with a smile. "Will you tell me your name?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. My name doesn't matter anymore."

"Doesn't matter? What would your mother say to that," the priest asked gently.

"Not much since she's dead. The men who attacked us, they… they…" her voice broke as she tried to speak. Acting on instinct, Kristoff wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Anna squeezed Alex's hand. She took a minute to compose herself before continuing. "She had written to my grandfather, King Fergus of DunBroch, that we were coming to stay with them for awhile. While on the way there, the caravan we were with got attacked by men trying to capture Mother and me. The soldiers traveling with us held them off so we could get away, but some of the attackers broke off and followed. She stopped running and told me to keep moving. I can still hear her screams when they got to her…"

"It's alright child," Baldar said softly as Alex started to cry. "You don't need to say anything you're not comfortable with telling. There's only one thing I need to know." He waited until he had the girl's attention before he asked, "Can you tell me about the dire wolf?"

"W-what dire wolf," Kristoff asked, shooting a pleading look to his sister to keep quiet.

"So you do know something about it," the priest observed with a small smile. "Relax young warrior, I serve the Goddess of Winter. If you ever visited her shrine at the temple you'd see that she is almost always depicted beside her brother, the great wolf Vidar. I believe dire wolves are sacred and should be revered, not hunted."

"How can a wolf be her brother," Anna asked, trying to cover her nerves.

"He is a shape shifter, young one," the priest explained gently. "It means he can shift his form from a man to a dire wolf, whichever best servers his purpose. Now, why don't you tell me what you know about this dire wolf."

"I found one a week ago," Anna blurted out, starting to ramble. "She was hungry and so I fed her and took care of her, but then Kristoff found out and told me that we had to send her away so…"

"Kristoff, you knew about this," her father thundered, interrupting her. He was furious his son would have any part something so forbidden by village law.

"Yes sir," Kristoff replied, meeting his father's eyes.

"The black wolf killed the men that went after Mother," Alex's quiet voice rang out. All eyes turned toward her.

"So she protected you," the priest clarified. Alex simply nodded, not adding anything else. "The other priests of Skadi found the bodies that appeared to have been victims of a dire wolf."

"Is that how you got the jerky," Kristoff asked. When he saw everyone watching him, he explained, "Before I sent the wolf away-"

"Shadow," Anna interrupted.

"Before I sent Shadow away," Kristoff corrected with a sigh, "I added to the jerky Anna had brought and gave it to her. I saw the cave that you had the sack it was in and most of the jerky still."

"It was given to me," the girl confirmed quietly.

"That was all I wanted to know," the priest said, rising. "Thank you for talking with me, Alex."

"Will I have to leave soon," she asked quietly.

"Yes child," he answered. "As soon as your royal grandfather arrives."

"But I like it here," she said even softer.

"This won't be goodbye forever," he answered with a smile. "King Fergus is known encouraging trade and good relations with his neighbors. And for the village that returned the only child of his estranged daughter… Well, suffice it to say, I doubt it'll be the last you see of us, young one."

She gave the priest a small smile before he turned to Kristoff's father and said, "And don't you worry. I won't tell the elders about the dire wolf if you don't."

"I would be grateful," he answered, directing an angry look at his children. "Now if you'll excuse me, Priest, I need to have a word with my children out in the back fields."

Kristoff gulped, knowing what punishment was coming. Doing his best to keep the fear out of his voice, he was barely successful keeping it from wavering as he spoke. "Father, I was the one who told Anna to keep everything hidden and I was the one who refused to tell the elders of the wolf. As the oldest, the responsibility is mine, and the failure is mine. Please leave Anna out of this."

His father looked him over. The anger was still present, but there was also pride in his eyes. "Very well, boy," he answered gruffly. "Anna, you'll not get supper this night and are banished from the woods and stay home bound until the next full moon." She was upset, but knowing that Kristoff was about to take the lion's share of punishment knew better than to protest.

"Yes father."

"Let's go boy," he said to his son as he headed out the front door. Kristoff just sighed and followed his father out.

* * *

A few weeks later they were in the village proper. There wasn't much to it but a few shops and a meeting hall. Up on a hill half a mile away was the temple complex. It wasn't as big as the one in Arendelle, home of the Lord of the surrounding villages, but it was big enough in its own right and housed shrines to all the Gods and Goddesses of the North.

Word had been sent that the King of the Highlanders, Fergus of DunBroch was arriving this day. He had traveled across the North Sea two months ago when his youngest daughter and granddaughter had gone missing. He had been searching with Lord Audun of Arendelle when word of his granddaughter's rescue had reached him. He had immediately set off for the obscure village with the Lord of the land acting as his guide.

Anna looked over at her friend, it was clear she wasn't happy that her time at their village was coming to an end. She thought back to the first night Alex had spent with them. Kristoff had come back from the fields well after sunset, bruised and bloody. He didn't show any interest at eating anything and went straight to his bed, which was across the room from Anna's. Their house wasn't very big, just two bedrooms and a great room, so Anna and her brother had to share a room. She heard him come in, since she was already in bed, no sense in tormenting herself watching everyone eat food she couldn't have. She heard her mother comment about how hungry Alex must be since she had eaten so much. Anna's stomach grumbled in complaint, but she did her best to ignore it and try and sleep.

A little later, she heard Alex ease into the room and walk over to Kristoff. Curious, Anna turned to watch her, just to see her leave a small bundle on the table next to Kristoff's bed. Then she turned and walked over to the bed she would be sharing with Anna. As she climbed up, Anna noticed she had a cloth napkin in her hand that seemed to be packed with something.

"For you," Alex said simply before lying down on her side, her back to Anna.

Anna opened the napkin to see Alex had been able to sneak her some food from dinner. She looked over her friend to Kristoff, who had gingerly rolled over and was starting to eat what Alex had brought him. With a small smile, she ate quickly so as not to be caught if her father came in to check on her.

As days went on, Alex had slowly become a member of the family. An obvious bond formed between Alex, Anna, and Kristoff, and even her father had grown a soft spot for the soft spoken girl. When they received word that King Fergus would be arriving to the village soon, Anna was heartbroken. Despite her father forbidding her from going into the forest, Anna had run there. It had always been a place of comfort for her and she needed that now. Without realizing it, she went to the spot she used to feed Shadow. Heart breaking all over at the memories of the dire wolf, she went to the tree she used to leave food for the wolf and curled up as the tears started pouring out of her. She wasn't sure how, but Alex found her soon after. The girl quietly sat next to Anna, and pulled her over so she could cry on her shoulder. It was near sundown when the two made it back and with Kristoff's help were able to sneak past Anna's father.

Anna was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of approaching horses. She looked up as armed men on horseback invaded the square. Many of them were the village warriors who had been summoned by Lord Audun, while others wore clothing she didn't recognize. They wore what looked like green skirts with a red sash across their chest. She was about to question her papa when two more men entered the village. The one on the left she recognized as Lord Audun, while the one on the right she guessed to be King Fergus. He was a large man with wild hair that was so red it was almost orange. He had beard that was as red as his hair with the exception of where grey had started to show and had a wooden peg in place of his left leg. He was a giant of a man and had to ride the biggest draft horse she'd ever seen.

Lord Audun and who she assumed was King Fergus stopped in front of her family. Both men dismounted as her family dropped to their knees out of respect. Alex was the only one to remain standing. Anna felt her brother next to her tense up and watched her friend out of the corner of her eye.

King Fergus looked Alex over before gruffly asking in the same accent her friend had, "Do you know who I am, lass?"

"Yes," she said quietly, meeting his eyes.

"Tell me then, who am I?"

"The King of DunBroch and the free people of the Highlands."

"If I'm a king, why don't you kneel," he asked with a raised brow.

"Mother taught me that I should always humble myself before the Gods, but to draw the line there."

Anna could hear a collective gasp go out from the villagers present as the King looked his granddaughter over. Suddenly he started laughing before saying, "There's a good lass. There's all the proof I need to know you're my blood." He looked around and saw the villagers still bowing, he raised his voice so everyone could hear, "Stand, everyone, I'm a man just like you."

Anna stood up and watched as the King approach her father and ask, "You are the scion of your house?"

"Yes, sire," he replied, momentarily bowing his head before meeting the king's eyes again. "Erland, master and trainer of the village war hounds. My wife, Dagny, and my children, Kristoff and Anna."

The king turned his gaze to her brother and asked, "You, boy, you're the one who protected my granddaughter?"

"I didn't do anything of note, your majesty," Kristoff said, clearly intimidated by the boisterous king.

"Didn't do anything of note," King Fergus repeated, stunned. "You protect my granddaughter and kill one of the most infamous bandits ever to walk out of the Highlands and you don't think you've anything of note? Gods above I've been king of the wrong group of people if you think this is no mean feat!"

"What my son means to say, sire," her father jumped in when Kristoff seemed incapable of answering, "is he only did what any other man of honor would do."

"And that's the problem, isn't it? Finding true men of honor anymore," King Fergus said ruefully.

"You'll find them aplenty here, my king," Lord Audun interjected.

"So it would appear," the king replied, stroking his beard with his left hand contemplatively. "A reward is due for your courage. You will travel to DunBroch in a month's time, I will cover all expenses. You will be my guests of honor at the Winter Festival."

"That is not necessary, your majesty," her father said.

"Of course it is," he said, cutting off further objections. He slapped Kristoff on the back, knocking the wind out of him, and continued, "You, boy, will sit at my right hand in the place of honor at the feast and join my family as we place the offering in the Temple of Cailleach."

"Who," Anna asked before she could stop herself. She immediately realized her mistake as soon as she saw the look her father gave her.

"The Goddess of Winter," Baldar, who had been standing behind her family, answered. "Although the names may vary depending where you are, the Pantheon remains the same."

"So, what say you, hound master," King Fergus asked Anna's father. "Will you let me repay your family for the gift of returning all that's left of my baby girl?"

"We would be honored," her father answered, bowing at the waist. Anna looked over at Alex and made eye contact with her friend. They exchanged a brief smile, each glad that this was not the last time they'd see each other.

* * *

A/N2: Frozen and Brave are my 2 of my favorite Disney movies. Can you tell lol? Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!


	4. Reuinions

Anna looked around the room provided her in wonder. She'd never had a room all to herself before, and she fully intended to take advantage of it. They'd just arrived in DunBroch, and as honored guests of the king were given rooms at the castle. They had even been met by the king's sons when their ship had docked. They'd introduced themselves, but Anna doubted she'd be able to keep them straight considering they were identical triplets.

Once they were escorted to their rooms, they had been informed that they had been provided with a wardrobe for the trip courtesy of the royal family and it was theirs to take with them when they left. They were instructed to change into the clothes that had been laid out for the feast and then head down to the Great Hall when ready; the feast would start as soon as they arrived. Anna quickly changed and headed to her parents room so they could head down together.

When she entered the room her parents had been given, she saw they were all dressed in similar clothing. Her and her mother had dresses that were royal blue with gold trim. Her father and brother had a tunic of the same color, white undershirt and black pants with matching fur lined boots. They'd each been given a royal blue cape with a profile of a snarling mabari war hound, the dogs her father trained, outlined in gold.

As they were led to the Great Hall by a servant, Anna started to get nervous. She had really missed Alex; the two had become fast friends during her week-long stay. But a month was a long time, maybe Alex had changed, or maybe she'd forgotten Anna. By the time they were standing outside the giant doors leading to the feast, Anna was fighting back tears. She was so worked up she didn't notice the doors opening or the herald announcing them. Maybe now that she was around royalty she started thinking she was better than the hound master's daughter and didn't want anything to do with her. Maybe…

She never got to finish that thought; she was too busy trying to stay standing as something slammed into her. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was Alex, and her friend was hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you so much," she heard an accented voice whisper before she was released. Anna had a huge smile on her face as she watched Alex pull her brother into a hug as hard as the one she'd gotten.

King Fergus and his family approached as a silence descended the hall

Elsa always made sure she was in DunBroch this time year; the festival was in her honor after all. And unlike most of the Celtic world, this kingdom didn't view her as some one-eyed hag to be hated and feared; rather they viewed her as Goddess to be loved and celebrated her each year at the fall equinox.

Like others in the Pantheon, she went by many names: to the Celts she was Cailleach, to the Norse she was Skadi. Only those closest to her knew her true name. Unlike the other deities, she preferred to keep to herself and remain a mystery to the mortals around her, it kept things simple.

So many of her brethren demanded lofty titles and grand festivals, punishing those that worshipped them when they failed to meet their extravagant expectations. All Elsa asked was to be remembered, she didn't even mind being depicted as an old hag or crone. Those that professed to fear her still smiled on the first snowfall, blessing her name when they thought none could hear. But she did, and that was enough.

Her curiosity was peaked when she heard celebrating coming from DunBroch Castle. Normally they were reserved the night before the festival in her honor. Reserved by their standards, anyway, Elsa thought with a smirk as she made her way to the castle.

She entered unseen by those around her, and saw King Fergus and his family at the front of the hall, talking with someone. She was having difficulty seeing over the mountain of a man that was the king. It appeared he was introducing his family to whomever was standing there before turning around and addressing the hall.

"Comrades," he bellowed, "we gather here every year to pay tribute to the great Goddess Cailleach! But this year we have more reasons to celebrate, and may she not look at us in jealousy for tonight's feast in honor of the heroes who brought my granddaughter home!"

Although some of the other deities would have been angered by a feast devoted to another on the eve of their festival, Elsa was not. In all honesty, she was overjoyed to hear that this young girl had made it safely to the Highlands.

She'd always had a soft spot for this family: the boisterous king who always put his the needs of his family and his people above his own; the regal queen who could smooth any tense situation with her quiet grace; Merida, the oldest child and her free spirit; the triplets Harris, Hubert, and Hamish who grew to be dignified young men without losing their talent for causing mischief; and the youngest, sweet hearted Aili.

Elsa's heart broke at the memory of when Queen Elinor had entered her temple a few months ago. Normally she'd be in the North, spreading her blessing on those who took her as their patron, but she could feel the pain of a broken heart drawing her to her temple in the Highlands. She knew something was wrong when she saw the regal queen dressed completely in black, from the dress to the cloak she wore with a hood covering her tear stained face. The queen quietly entered, walking to her alter and placing a small offering upon it. Without revealing herself to the mortal, she looked to see it was a doll that had been a favorite of her youngest growing up. She had seen the queen for some time visit the temple of Beasal, the guardian of travelers, knowing that Aili had left home several years ago. Elsa fought to contain her reaction as the queen quietly knelt, pulled down her hood, and started her prayer.

"Cailleach, Goddess of Winter and the hunt, Mistress of death, I come to you now, begging you to hear my humble plea. Please protect my daughter's soul, and help her find eternal peace." She paused to take a deep breath and fight the tears that were threatening to spill. "I received word from my husband this morn that they found her body… what was left of it… in the Nordic lands. She was within a few days rides of a city in the fjords where she was going board a ship and finally return home after almost a decade and a half." Here the queen broke down, no longer able to hold back her tears. She tried to compose herself before giving up and shouting, "She was coming home! Why did this have to happen? She was my baby girl! Why?" Elsa felt tears silently falling as she moved to comfort the grieving mother. She wrapped her arms around the heartbroken queen, allowing the temperature around her to drop so the queen would recognize her presence.

The queen immediately wiped her eyes, and whispered, "Forgive my outburst, my heart is breaking and I am not thinking clearly, I did not mean..." Elsa sent a cold blast to silence the queen, before sending a gentle gust to move the hair from her eyes and wipe her tears away. "Thank you," Queen Elinor said around the lump in her throat. "I know you are not the cruel hag the south tries to claim you to be. If you were, you would not have spared her daughter." Elsa's eyebrows shot up to her forehead; she was unaware that Aili had a daughter, just as she had been unaware that she was in her domain of the North. Someone had gone to great lengths to hide both of them from her, and with the skill it was done with could only mean divine intervention. She'd have to look into this later. For now she had no plans to leave the grieving queen and did all she could to comfort her.

She was pulled from her memories as King Fergus moved aside to introduce his guests. She had yet to see the prodigal granddaughter, and was curious how much she would resemble her maternal side.

The first two who were introduced were a husband and wife. Looking at their hearts she could see the goodness in them. She could see the love the man had not just for his wife, but for his two children and the girl he had taken into his home. Looking at the woman, she could see her devotion to her husband. She had a quiet exterior, and much like the queen, it did well to hide the fierceness with which she would protect her family.

The king finally stepped aside revealing the children, and immediately Elsa could see the bond between the three of them. She watched the blond haired boy with a smirk as he shifted uncomfortably under the attention he was getting. The two girls were facing each other so that all the Goddess saw was the back of the raven haired girl's head, blocking the view of the other. She sensed the protectiveness the boy felt towards both girls and the beginnings of something more for the King's granddaughter. Elsa smiled as she also saw the same feelings starting in her as well, although she doubted the girl recognized it for what it was. She could also sense the sisterly bond between the two girls that couldn't have been stronger even if they had been related by blood. The king called his granddaughter, Alex, to his side, allowing Elsa to get a glimpse of both girls.

With Alex no longer obstructing her view, she could get a clear view of the auburn headed girl. As soon as she looked at her soul, the breath caught in Elsa's throat and she felt like time had stopped. Inside this girl was the purest soul and truest heart of anyone, mortal or god, she had ever encountered. Something about her caused a stirring in Elsa she'd never felt, drawing her in. Elsa took a step forward, driven by some urge to claim this girl as hers. 'Stop it,' a voice in her head screamed. 'She's only a child!' Elsa immediately caught herself, closing her eyes as she harshly chastised herself. She had recently led a group to split from the Pantheon for doing such things, and now here she was, almost committing the crime she abhorred. She felt disgusted by herself

As she started to berate herself, Odin's words from their last meeting came to mind, "Temptation is not the issuse, for no one can escape its whispers. The standard by which we are judged by is how we fight its calling." She had taken those words to heart, and called upon them now to help strengthen her.

Elsa took a few more calming breaths, clearing her mind of the urge to claim the innocent girl. Once she had regained her composure, she opened her eyes to look the other girl over, just to have her breath catch for an entirely different reason. 'How did I miss this before?' Elsa questioned herself. The girl's duel nature was impossible to miss, and her deep blue eyes…

"Vidar," Elsa angrily muttered under her breath. The girl was looking in her direction, and Elsa briefly wondered if she could see her. It wouldn't be impossible, she supposed, not if she was the daughter of a mortal and a god. The girl's father must have hidden mother and child, it would explain how she had been so unaware. Elsa took one last look at the girl, holding eye contact for a moment before leaving the hall. She needed to have a word with her brother.

* * *

A/N: Thank you again for all the support I've gotten for this story. It's always encouraging to know people are actually enjoying this when I see follower alerts pop up!


	5. Introductions

"Vidar," Elsa shouted into the forest outside the castle. "Vidar! Show yourself!"

"Normally this festival relaxes you," she heard someone say behind her. Elsa turned to see her brother leaning against one of the trees, arms crossed against his chest. He was dressed as a traditional Highlander, complete with a green plaid kilt with a red sash. He had tried to tame his short black hair, but some rebellious strands were sticking up. There was laughter dancing in his deep blue eyes and the reminder served to increase her temper.

"That's what happens when I run into a niece I didn't even know existed," Elsa snarled back. The mirth immediately left his eyes as he straightened. "Why didn't you tell me you had a child? With the daughter of the Highlander King no less!"

"She's here," Vidar demanded as he started to panic. "I have to leave."

"Leave? Don't you even wish to know how she is," Elsa asked, anger disappearing into confusion at his reaction.

"I… I can't…" he stammered as he started to back away from his older sister. "Her mother is dead because of me… I… I have to leave before they come for her too…"

"Vidar," Elsa called out, but it was too late. Her brother had disappeared and left her standing alone in the forest. She vowed to track him down for answers as soon as the festival was over.

* * *

The next day was the start of the festival. The morning consisted of a ceremony at the temple of the Winter Goddess. The Hound Master's family stood with the King's in the temple proper as the priests conducted the ceremony. They were all dressed in outfits of white to represent snow.

Although none of the mortals present could see her, Elsa dressed up for her festival. Her hair, normally in a loose braid was instead in a regal bun. She was in a shimmering light blue dress made of ice that glittered in the sun and a cape made from pure white snow. Strapped to her back was a quiver of arrows and her legendary black longbow.

Despite her inner turmoil, the devotion and piety of the people of DunBroch touched her heart and helped to temporarily lift her spirits. At the end of the ceremony, Elsa watched as the king and the Hound Master approached the alter and each placed an offering. She sent a gentle, icy breeze through the village to show she accepted the gifts, causing a cheer to rise from the villagers.

The temple emptied as the villagers spread out to start the celebration in her honor. Elsa watched with amusement as kegs of ale were brought out and placed liberally throughout the village as games of skill and sparring rings were set up. She still wondered what any of this had to do with her or winter, but shrugged it off with a smile. It was quirks like this that had endeared the Highlanders to her. She just hoped that they took care this year to ensure only those with the proper sobriety level participated in the archery contest. Not that last year's incident hadn't been amusing, and there hadn't been any major injuries…

Elsa chuckled to herself as she turned around to face her alter to discover two had held back from joining the festivities. She froze in place when she saw it was the girl she'd become instantly smitten with, Anna, and her recently discovered niece, Alex.

"Go on," Alex was saying to Anna.

"I can't just walk up there," Anna hissed at her, eyes never leaving the Winter Goddess' alter.

"Why not?"

"There has to be some sort of ritual or ceremony or something…"

"Why?"

"Don't you know how these things work," Anna huffed indignantly as Elsa moved to stand in front of the girls. "No one can just walk up and start talking to a Goddess!"

Alex's eyes snapped to Elsa's before focusing on her friend. She cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy and asked, "So you're saying someone has to introduce you to her before you can talk to her?"

"Yes," Anna exclaimed, exasperated that it had taken her friend this long to understand.

"Ok," Alex replied before turning and making eye contact with Elsa. "Cailleach, this is my friend Anna-"

"What are you doing," Anna demanded, interrupting her.

"Introducing you," Alex answered matter-of-factly. Elsa had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh at Anna's incredulous face.

"You can't do it! It has to be a priest or someone like that!"

Alex curiously looked her friend over again before stating, "I'm a child of winter, and I have the mark to prove it."

Elsa's breath caught in her throat as Alex turned around and pulled the collar down on the back of her dress. In between her shoulder blades was a mark that looked like a snowflake with a Celtic knot in the center of it. It was the symbol she had taken for herself and only shown to her most loyal followers. It was also the mark given to those who served her. '_Vidar_,' she inwardly cursed, '_how could you?_' She wondered if the girl understood what that mark really meant, the life of service her father committed her to.

"I wondered what that was," Anna said bashfully as Alex adjusted her dress and faced her again. "What does it meant to be a 'child of winter'?"

"It's complicated," Alex sighed sadly. Elsa felt her heart wrench, so she had some idea. "But basically it means I serve the Winter Goddess, so I can introduce you, if you want."

"Ok," Anna replied after a slight hesitation.

"As I was saying this is my friend Anna," Alex continued, turning again to face Elsa. "She comes from a village outside of Arendelle, and her people call you Skadi. She's kind of clumsy and she rambles a lot," Alex was interrupted again as Anna elbowed her in side and this time Elsa couldn't hold back a laugh, "but she's a really good person and has a gift for you in honor of your festival."

Alex took a few steps back, giving Anna space in front of the alter and, unbeknownst to her, the Goddess of Winter herself. "Um… hi," she began nervously, "my name is Anna. Which you already know, since you're a Goddess, and all and Alex just told you it... I'm sorry, I ramble when I'm nervous, and when I'm not, so I guess I ramble all the time…" The sound of a throat clearing caused her to stop talking and turn around. She saw Alex smirking at her and gesturing to the doll in her hand. "Oh! Right! Your gift," Anna exclaimed, turning back around. She had brought her favorite toy to give to as an offering. It was a stuffed snowman her Nan had made for her before she'd passed away. Anna walked up and placed the doll on the alter next to the gifts her father and the king had left

"His name is Olaf and he likes warm hugs," Anna said softly. "I've seen how some people don't like you and call you names. I know how sad I get if someone doesn't like me, I couldn't imagine having whole cities hating me. Whenever I'm sad, a hug from Olaf helps me feel better. I hope he helps you feel better whenever someone makes you feel sad."

Elsa could see Anna starting to fidget, so she sent a gentle breeze. A smile lit up her face, causing Elsa's heart to melt a little. She watched Anna scamper down to Alex before turning and looking over the snowman Anna had left. She was so enchanted by the heartfelt gift she didn't hear Anna leave or Alex hesitantly step forward.

"Thank you for listening to her," a soft voice said, startling her. She quickly turned around to see Alex standing where Anna had stood, head down, twisting her fingers nervously. After a beat of silence, she raised her head slightly and made eye contact.

"You can see me," Elsa stated, and Alex mutely nodded in response. "Do you know who I am?" Another nod. "I don't just mean as what domain I preside over. Do you know who I am to you?" Still just a nod in response. Frustrated at the lack of a vocal response, Elsa felt the anger from the night before come bubbling up and angrily demanded, "Speak child!"

"Why doesn't my father want me," Alex asked in a small voice choked with tears she tried to hold back. Elsa's heart broke for the girl, and she instantly regretted using such a harsh tone. As she tried to come up with an appropriate response, the girl asked, "Is it because I couldn't save Mommy from the bad men?"

"No, dear one," Elsa quickly answered, kneeling in front of the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder as she tried to come up with an answer. There was such sadness in the child, and she tried so hard to be brave. "It is his failure to protect you both that eats at him. He thinks that he can protect you best by keeping away."

"How can he protect me if he isn't here?"

"That's a good question," Elsa replied.

"Does he hate me?"

"No, just the opposite, child. He just isn't good at showing it."

"Do you hate me," she asked, finally meeting the goddess' eye, a tear escaping.

"No! Why would you think that," Elsa asked.

"I can sense what others are feeling," she explained. "I saw how angry you were when you first saw me."

Elsa looked her over, trying to best explain that it was her brother's deception, not her, she was angry at when she saw the girl's lip quiver. Giving up on words, Elsa pulled her into her arms and whispered comforting words as the girl sobbed.

Once she had calmed down, Elsa softly said, "I was not mad at you last night. I was taken by surprise when I saw you and I was frustrated at my brother for hiding you from me." She pulled back slightly, placed a hand on Alex's chin, and gently raised her tear stained face to make eye contact. Once she saw Alex was looking at her, she continued, "I promise you, dear one, I do not hate you. I could never hate one as kind hearted as you."

Alex gave her a small smile, before looking away nervously.

"What's wrong, child?"

"I… I saw your feelings for Anna," she answered hesitatingly. When she saw Elsa stiffen, she quickly added, "I also saw that you could never hurt her."

"You don't know that," Elsa said rising and turning away, disgusted with herself.

"Yes I do," Alex said with certainty, causing Elsa to look back at her. "I told you, I can read others, and I know you'd never hurt her. Unlike the other who was there."

"What other," Elsa demanded, feeling her anger starting to rise.

"I don't know his name," Alex said, taking a step back in fear from Elsa's reaction.

Silently chastising herself, Elsa forced herself to calm down before turning to completely face the young girl. "What can you tell me about him? Can you describe him?"

"Chaos," Alex answered. "Everything about him screamed chaos and discord. I'm sorry," she said, dropping her head in shame. "I should have gotten a better look at him, but he disappeared as soon as you entered the feast."

"It's alright, dear one," Elsa said soothingly. "You've done enough to help me know who it was." Hans, she thought bitterly. Adelric's youngest brother was the only deity she knew who fit the description of 'chaos'. That Anna had caught his attention was not good. Elsa and the Northern Gods had split from the Pantheon in protest. The Northern Gods, led by herself, believed that the mortals should be left alone with minimal interference from the Gods to forge their own paths. That included abstaining from the practice of 'claiming' any mortal that caught their fancy, with or without their permission. She did not oppose a deity taking on a mortal as a partner, but only if they agreed to it. Taking without consent was a practice Adelric and his brothers reveled in. Knowing Hans, he would soon be trying to make his claim on Anna, dooming the girl.

Frustrated, Elsa started to pace. Either she protects this girl from Hans and claims her, casting her as a hypocrite and dooming her cause just as she'd started making progress in swaying the rest of the Pantheon to follow suit; or she stands by and does nothing as Hans claims this poor girl and uses her until she is turned into an empty husk.

"There is a way you can protect her without claiming her," Alex said softly, jarring Elsa from her downward spiral.

"How," she demanded, her frustration seeping into her voice.

"Dream walking."

"Dream…" Elsa hesitated as she thought it over. "That's perfect." She didn't know why she didn't think of that. Entering the girl's dreams would allow her to watch over her without shackling the girl to her without her consent. She took a closer look at the girl in front of her and asked, "How do you know what dream walking is?"

The girl shrugged and looked down before mumbling, "Aunt Merida told a story where two lovers would meet in their dreams. I asked if it was real, and she told me, 'Legends are lessons.' Grandpappy laughed and said something about them being more than just lessons and Grandmother didn't look happy."

"She was just tired, I'm sure," Elsa said with a grin, imagining the queen's reaction.

"Oh," Alex replied with a contemplative look. "I thought it was because Aunt Merida turned Grandmother into a bear a few years ago and almost wasn't able to turn her back."

"You know about that?"

"Uncle Hamish told me the story my first day in DunBroch."

"Of course he did," she said with a laugh. She looked the girl over, taking a deeper look than she did the night before. She saw the honesty and loyalty in her, as well as her devotion to Anna and Kristoff. She sensed wisdom beyond her young years, as well as the deep sadness of someone who has lost so much.

"May I ask you something," Alex requested hesitantly, unable to maintain eye contact with the Goddess.

"Of course child," Elsa replied kindly, once again kneeling in front of Alex and gently coaxing her to make eye contact.

"My mother… is she… um… is she…" Alex's voice trailed off as tears started again.

"Your mother is at peace," Elsa answered, guessing what Alex wanted to know, lightly stroking the girl's cheek with the back of her hand. "She's happy to know that you've made it safely to DunBroch and is very proud of you."

"Really," she asked with hopeful eyes.

"Really," Elsa answered, wiping the tears from the girl's face. "Now, there seems to be a party going on down there and it looks like your two friends are waiting for you."

Alex took a quick look behind her and saw Anna and Kristoff standing at the mouth of the temple. "Can I come back and talk to you another time," she asked, biting her lip nervously.

"Of course, dear one, any time you want," Elsa said with a smile. She was surprised when the child threw her arms around her neck in a hug, but quickly recovered and returned it. After a minute, Alex let go and ran out of the temple to meet up with her friends. Elsa watched them take off, and with a smile observed the celebration being held in her honor.

It faded, however, when her gaze settled on the forest, just outside the town's borders. Standing there was Hans, watching Anna with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Sensing eyes on him, he turned see Elsa staring him down. Instead of looking intimidated, he gave her a smug smile before waving and disappearing from view.

* * *

Anna was having that dream again, she knew it was a dream because Shadow was here. She hadn't seen Shadow since Kristoff sent her away, but she always appeared in her dreams. They would spend the night running though sunny fields and playing, things she wished she could have done with her in real life.

Lately though, a dark fog had been encroaching in on her dreams. It started to blot out the light, casting everything in its wake in murky darkness.

Shadow always tried to steer her away from it, but it was getting harder. Lately, the fog had been calling her, trying to lure her into its mists. Shadow always stopped her if she got too close, but she saw that somehow it was starting to hurt her friend. She didn't know how it was happening, but somehow the fog was finding a way to drain the strength from the dire wolf. Tonight she was going to put a stop to it; tonight she was entering the fog to chase the presence away. She stood at the boundary of the fog, trying to work up the courage to step into it.

"That's right," the voice whispered. "Come to me and I promise your wolf will be left alone."

Shadow had latched onto her wrist and was trying to pull her away.

"I'm doing this for you," Anna said, kneeling to face her friend. "I want it to stop hurting you and this is the only way." Shadow just kept pulling at her sleeve, trying to move her away from the murky darkness, whining as she pulled. "I'll be ok, I promise," she tried to assure the frantic wolf, but to no avail. She kept pulling against Shadow, knowing that soon, thanks to the fog, her strength would give out, allowing Anna to pull away.

Just as Anna was about to break free, she noticed a light shining behind Shadow on the other side of the forest of her dream world that hadn't been there before. Anna was frozen in surprise, which gave her companion the opening she needed to drag the human away. Anna could hear the voice raging at her departure, but she was too entranced by the light to notice.

Anna and Shadow broke through the tree line to find themselves in the heart of the dream forest where the light seemed to be coming from. It was an empty field bordered on all sides by trees. In the middle of the field was a girl who looked to be her age standing on a pile of snow. Satisfied Anna wouldn't run back to the surrounding darkness, Shadow dropped her arm and collapsed into a sitting position, panting heavily. The girl looked happy to see Anna and shyly waved her over.

Anna wanted to, but was frozen in place; the other girl was beautiful. She had hair as white as the snow she was standing on fashioned in a braid that hung over her left shoulder and onto her dark blue dress. Her skin was light and unblemished, and her ice blue eyes captivated the normally rambunctious girl. A smirk graced her beautiful mouth at her effect on the auburn haired girl and she started making her way towards the pair.

She stood there, mystified by the other presence, when she felt something shove her forward. Startled, she looked behind her to see Shadow head butting her towards the girl. "Knock that off," Anna hissed at the wolf. She could've sworn the wolf rolled her eyes before head butting her again. Shadow was successful this time, pushing her forward a step just as the blond haired girl got close, causing Anna to slam into her, sending them crashing to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," Anna quick apologized, looking down at the girl who broke her fall. "My wolf was just being annoying, she kept trying to push me forward to talk to you, which is stupid. Not that talking to you would be stupid, just that I can be, and most of the kids my age don't want to talk to me, especially pretty ones like you. Cause you are, pretty not stupid, course you probably already know that… I ramble a lot… Mama calls it a nervous tick but I just think it's really annoying and I have no idea what to do right now…"

"You could start by standing up," the girl said with a smirk, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"Oh right, yes, sorry," Anna said as she scampered up. She turned to glare at the wolf that had pushed her just to yell out in distress. "Shadow," Anna exclaimed, kneeling at her side. Her friend had curled up into herself, rolling and whimpering in pain.

The blond knelt next to Anna and placed a hand on Shadow before closing her eyes and concentrating.

"It's the fog," Anna said around in a lump that had formed in her throat. "Something in it has been hurting her." Rationally she knew that this was only a dream and the wolf that was at her feet was not the pup she'd rescued in the forest weeks ago. That didn't make the stab of fear lodged in her chest hurt any less.

"The fog won't trouble you anymore," the girl said with an authority that seemed to clash with her youth. Anna was about to comment about it when she noticed the fog around the forest was dissipating and color was returning. As the fog left, Anna notice the dire wolf relaxed until she didn't appear to be in pain.

"How'd you do that," Anna asked, awed.

The girl just shrugged, never taking her eyes off Shadow. After another minute she whispered to the wolf, "Death will not come for you this day. Rest, I will keep watch." Shadow lifted her head to nuzzle the blond next to her, then doing the same thing to Anna, before lowering her head to rest.

"She will be fine," the blond said, tentatively placing a hand on Anna's arm.

Anna ripped her eyes away from her friend to the girl next to her. Relief coursing through her, she acted without thinking and launched herself into the other girl's arms. She held the girl tightly to her, trying not to cry for a long minute before realizing she just manhandled the girl who saved her best friend. Embarrassed, she went to pull away just for the other girl to grip her tightly. Happy to have not completely blown it, Anna held the embrace for a moment longer before easing out of it. "Thank you for saving my friend," Anna said thickly. "I know this is just a dream and none of this is real…"

"It's as real as you believe it to be," the blond said with a smile. "My name is Elsa."

"I'm Anna. You can't be real, you're too pretty."

"So you said earlier," Elsa said with a smirk. "Am I not allowed to be?"

"It's not that," Anna said, looking down, feeling a blush cover her face. "It's just that I have a hard time making friends with other girls, especially pretty ones. Probably because I'm so clumsy and I'm not pretty like them."

She got interrupted by a huffing sound coming from Shadow. She looked down to see the dire wolf looking at her with an almost exasperated expression.

"I don't think your friend agrees," Elsa observed, "and neither do I. I think you're beautiful."

"Oh… Thank you," Anna stuttered out, the blush on her face heating.

"Now, we can sit here and I can continue to try and dispel this low opinion you have of yourself or we can spend our time getting to know each other better."

Anna looked around as an idea came to her. "Do you wanna build a snowman," she asked with a large smile.

Elsa returned her smile as she took her hands and said, "I would love to."

* * *

A/N: Here's an extra long chapter that was initially going to be 2, but I couldn't find a good place to break it up. Also, it's kind of an apology since I don't know when I'm gonna be able to update again. I'm gonna try to update soon, but with the curve balls life keeps insisting on throwing right now, I don't know when it'll be. I promise it'll be as soon as I can! Thank you again for all the follows/favs/and reviews!


	6. The Meeting

Two years after her niece had settled in DunBroch, Elsa called together the Gods of the North to her temple on the North Mountain. They needed to discuss a course of action to avoided Alderic's latest attempts at war. Although she'd been able to counter and outmaneuver him so far, she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to avoid a confrontation.

The temple complex was huge, a testament to the devotion the Norse had for her. It was made entirely out of white granite, imported from neighboring countries and hauled up the steep mountain side. The sanctuary dominated the temple, with its high vaulted ceilings and intricate stained glass windows lining the walls leading to the altar. At the front of the sanctuary behind the altar was a large statue of the Winter Goddess. The statue depicted her facing the sanctuary, her face angled down with a small smile as if to welcome whoever entered to pay her tribute. Her left hand was raised in a welcoming gesture while in her right she held a long sword, blade pointed downwards with the tip resting on the ground. Her bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and at her feet prowled her brother Vidar in wolf form.

Attached to the temple by a long hallway that was made of thick ice was the Goddess' personal complex made from the same white granite as the temple. The only mortals who were allowed to enter were the Children of Winter, not even the High Priest of the temple complex was granted access. It was the Children of Winter who would maintain the two story complex as well as see to any needs the Goddess might have. On the main floor were several small sitting rooms all connecting to a large feast hall. The only thing on the second floor was a large bedroom that led to a balcony that overlooked the mountain side. No one, not even the Children of Winter, was allowed access.

It was in the great hall Elsa had assembled the deities. It was similar to Odin's, but not nearly as massive. Along the walls were several large fireplaces with fires blazing. The cold may have had no effect on the Winter Goddess, but she knew that wasn't the case for the others and had the fires lit as a courtesy. The deities had filled the large table in the center of the room, enjoying the feast Elsa had set up. Once most of the food had been eaten, Elsa had started the discussion she was dreading. They needed to come up with a strategy to counter Alderic. It was important they be in agreement, this was too important for there to be any discord on the matter.

That had been several hours ago.

Elsa sighed wearily, rubbing her temples as the deities around her bickered. She was starting to understand why Odin always looked angry, she'd have to see if he had any advice for dealing with these situations. If he was still talking to her, that is.

The discussion had gone off course and turned into a shouting match. Taking a page out of Odin's book, Elsa suddenly stood up and shouted, "ENOUGH! We're not getting anywhere like this! You all seem more interested in insulting each other than focusing on the situation at hand!"

"Said the one who is making us look like hypocrites," countered Belle, the Goddess of Dreams. The assembly fell silent in shock at the accusation.

"How dare you," Elsa demanded angrily, leaning on her arms over the table, face red.

"I have seen what you've been doing within my realm with that girl," the Goddess responded coolly, raising an eyebrow. The color drained from Elsa's face, and she immediately tried to defend her actions. Before she could speak, however, Belle quickly spoke. "I don't mean to be insubordinate, but the Southern Gods are also aware of it, and have informed Odin. They say you have claimed the young Norse girl as your own, making you a liar who is just looking for an excuse to start a war."

"You know that's not true!"

"I do," the regal brunette agreed, "and I told Odin as much when he came to me for answers."

"He came to you before me," Elsa demanded, anger returning.

"Can you blame him?"

"I suppose not," the Winter Goddess conceded as she collapsed into her chair. Her anger was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced with an ever present exhaustion. "I trust you also told Odin how Hans invaded her dreams as a fog in an attempt to lure her to him?"

"I did. I'm not going to betray you," Belle insisted, allowing Elsa to see the truth of her words. "I'm just trying to warn you how Alderic is contorting this."

"Thank you," the Winter Goddess replied wearily. Elsa looked around the table before waving everyone off. "Clearly no decision is being made today. Each of you return to your realms and I will think on our next move. Remain vigilant, our enemies are making it clear what their intentions are. _May your path always bit lit in the dark_," Elsa said, dismissing the deities with the traditional closing words. As everyone stood, she walked over to her old friend.

Belle, or Niorun as the Norse called her, had been friends with Elsa for centuries and had just recently joined Elsa's cause. Belle's temple complex was located in the European lands to the South and that was where most of her followers were. When Elsa first split from the Pantheon, she'd asked Belle to join their cause as a courtesy. She knew that Belle could never abandon her followers, but wanted to make sure she wouldn't make an enemy of her old friend. Belle declined with a sad smile, but also declined Alderic's middle brother, Gaston, when asked to join an alliance with the Southern Gods. Instead she joined Odin and a handful of other gods in a neutral position acting as a mediator between the two factions. A year ago everything changed.

Belle had become smitten with a prince of a village that had made her their patron. Gaston had made it no secret he wanted her and became jealous that she would choose a mortal over him. He cursed the prince, turning him into a mindless beast. Belle pleaded to Odin to help her, but there was nothing he would do. Anger overwhelmed the Goddess of Dreams, and she immediately turned to Elsa. Belle told her of Gaston's curse and before she could even ask her friend for help, Elsa had sent Vidar to the prince to see if anything could be done. Vidar moved the prince to the Norse lands out of Gaston's reach and helped him regain his senses, but could do nothing to turn him back into a man. Belle swore her loyalty to the Northern Deities' cause if Elsa promised her justice would be done.

Elsa felt shame as she approached Belle; she knew there was no reason to mistrust her, but she was hardly thinking straight lately. Swallowing what was left of her pride, she walked up to her old friend and said, "I need to apologize. All this talk of war has me on edge… We've been friends for too long for me to assume you would turn against me."

"Well, it probably didn't help that I intentionally worded it to sound like I was," the brunette replied with a playful smirk which only grew when Elsa started scowling in annoyance. "I had to get your attention somehow," Belle laughed. "You were so wrapped up in your impersonation of Odin nothing else would have gotten through."

"I forgot what a bitch you could be," Elsa sighed, a smile creeping on her face.

"It's a personality quirk," her friend replied with a smile. "By the way, I can see why that girl caught your eye. She's beautiful."

"Has Anna been to your alter," Elsa asked doing her best to force down her spike of jealousy. Anna had a good heart, of course she would honor all the gods, and there was no reason for her to be jealous… right?

"No, I visited her a couple times in her dreams," Belle said with an innocent smile, doing her best to contain her laughter. All bets were off, however, when Elsa's eye started twitching. She practically doubled over laughing at her friend trying to hide her jealousy, causing the loitering deities to look over at them. "I was curious at who could've been fortunate enough to catch your eye," Belle explained once she'd calmed down enough to talk. "It was clear once I met her, and after what Hans pulled I wanted to make sure she stayed safe. There's no need to be jealous," Belle said with a playful smile.

"I hate you," Elsa huffed out.

"You love me," Belle countered. She looked Elsa over as she carefully chose her words. "Hers aren't the only dreams I've taken a personal interest to protect from Hans."

"Oh," Elsa replied, distractedly looking out over the Gods and Goddesses who were slowly departing.

"I've also kept an eye on Alex." Elsa's face snapped over to hers, concern lacing her features.

"Has Hans or his brothers made a move on her, as well?"

"Not yet, but only because I haven't let them anywhere near her," Belle said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll keep Alex safe for you."

"Who's Alex," Vidar asked, joining the Goddesses. "Another abandoned soul you've taken under your wing?" He knew he'd said something wrong when the room was immediately coated in a layer of ice. Belle had a look of shocked horror in her eyes and his sister was seething in anger. Alex was not the first child he had left for the mother to raise, but she was the first one he had actively avoided. Any of the others could call out to him and he would be there. Elsa didn't know why her brother avoided his youngest daughter and she was determined to find out.

"Alex is the daughter of Aili of DunBroch, the daughter you've abandoned," Elsa said angrily through clenched teeth. Vidar's eyes went wide in shock, he had no idea his daughter went by that name.

"I don't know what to say," Vidar said quietly as he lowered his head in shame. All eyes were trained on the three deities.

"You could start by acknowledging her," Elsa suggested, forcing herself to calm down. Vidar wanted to, he wanted more than anything to raise his little girl.

He first noticed Aili when she would go to his sister's temple in DunBroch. She would always leave an offering not just for Elsa, but for him as well. He was touched she would think of him, most didn't. Vidar started to fall in love with the quiet Highland girl, but vowed to stay away. She deserved a normal happy life, which would have been impossible with him. That plan changed when he saw Alderic was moving to claim her as his own.

The shape shifter convinced her to follow him to the Norse lands, where he took care of her. For years they were happy. He still remembered the day she told him she was pregnant, he had been ecstatic. He had been there for the birth, the only one of his children he had witnessed coming into the world. Vidar had been so proud holding his daughter, seeing she had his black hair and her mother's deep blue eyes. He smiled when Aili had declared her name with tears in her eyes: Bridget Wolffsdotter. He swore to Aili he would always be there for both of them.

A day after his daughter turned a year old he broke his promise. Things had become tense in the Pantheon and Alderic had made it clear that he wanted revenge on the shape shifter for stealing the Highland princess from him. The Summer God had gotten bold and Vidar had no doubts as to what he would do if he ever found Aili and Bridget.

The day Bridget turned a year old he spent the entire day with her, trying to cram a lifetime of memories into those few precious hours. Aili somehow knew what he was planning and confronted him before he could slip away. Unable to hold back his sorrow, he told her everything as tears ran down his face. Vidar expected Aili's anger, what he didn't expect was her acceptance. She only made one request, and that was to protect Bridget, no matter what.

That's what he had to done her entire life by staying away to keep Alderic from finding her. It was why he had put his sister's mark on her, so no other god could claim her. It was what he had to do now, even though it would kill him.

"I-I won't," Vidar choked out. "I will not acknowledge her as my child."

He met his sister's eyes and wished he hadn't, they were full of anger and disappointment. He knew there was no way he could defend his actions, but he needed his sister to understand. "I can't let Alderic find out about her. This is the only way I know to keep her safe."

"You would disavow your daughter in front of the Pantheon," Belle asked, shocked disappointment in her tone.

He forced a blank expression and pushed back threatening tears before turning to her and asking, "What daughter?"

"Vidar," Elsa said, disappointment lacing her voice.

A voice from the assembled Gods spoke up hesitatingly, "If she isn't acknowledged…"

Elsa quickly sent a glare out to the deities, she knew the law. Any child not acknowledged by their divine parent could not be recognized as having any of the rights or protections given to members of the Pantheon. They existed in a limbo between humanity and divinity: too mortal to be considered a god and too divine to simply live a normal human life. Most who went unacknowledged were hunted down by other gods as a precaution.

Elsa sent a glare to her brother before announcing to the room, "I claim her. Any who dare question this may look and see the mark she wears on her back."

None of them wanted to risk Elsa's wrath, and readily accepted her claim. Belle put a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder and sent her a sad smile before departing.

Elsa fought to keep her emotions at bay as she watched the room empty. Once she was alone with her brother, she turned to him and demanded, "Why?"

"Because I'm not strong enough to protect her," Vidar admitted, looking defeated, "but you can. This is all I can do for her."

"She needs you," Elsa insisted.

"Alderic could find her through me," Vidar responded. "I love her too much to put her in that kind of danger. I'm sorry."

She watched her brother trudge out, shoulders hunched. She sank wearily into a nearby chair, an exhausted sigh slipping out of her.

"Damn you Alderic," Elsa muttered angrily. "Damn you and your brothers to Hel."

* * *

A/N: Life is still kicking my butt, but I should hopefully be able to have the next chapter out in a week. Thank you everyone who's left a review/followed/favorited.


	7. A Peaceful Moment

A/N: The song mentioned is the one from Brave that Merida and her mother sing together during the storm. I got the title from the soundtrack

A/N2: I made a small edit, it was pointed out to me that 'dear heart' wouldn't be said and had an alternative suggested. A big thank you to Arlaxxer for pointing that out to me!

* * *

"… and you should have seen Kristoff's face when he stood up, completely covered in mud," Anna said around a laughter she couldn't hold back any longer.

Elsa was sitting against a tree with Anna leaning against her between her legs. Elsa's arms were wrapped around the auburn haired girl as Anna told her about her trip. Now that she was sixteen her father had allowed her to travel with Kristoff to a nearby town on village business. Anna admitted to not having a clue as to what the point of the trip was, she was too excited to worry about those details.

"But by far the most entertaining thing happened at the tavern," Anna said with a huge grin.

"Would it be easier for you just to show me," Elsa asked with a smile. She loved seeing Anna so happy.

"Probably," Anna laughed, "I'm not sure I could tell it without forgetting a few of the details." Anna closed her eyes and concentrated. Elsa had taught her how to project her memories in her dreams, it was easier sometimes for the excitable girl to show Elsa her memories and narrate them than to tell them.

The memory started with Anna sitting at a small round table near the back of a cramped, poorly lit tavern. There was a fireplace roaring off to the right, and the cluster of tables surrounding it was packed with men. Elsa's nose wrinkled as the smell of the place made itself known, a combination of stale beer and vomit with a touch of rotten meat.

"Yeah, that was my reaction when we first walked in," Anna said sympathetically as she looked up at Elsa.

"Lovely," Elsa responded with a grimace. How could anyone voluntarily visit an establishment like this?

The memory continued, showing Kristoff talking to the owner, haggling for a room to rent for the night. Anna had been distracted and hadn't noticed the man approaching her until he blocked her view of her brother.

"Now what's a pretty thing like you doin in a place like this," the obviously intoxicated man asked, leering down at her. Elsa instinctually tightened her arms around Anna and glared at the projection. She could sense Anna's thoughts and feelings towards the drunkard, how she wanted him to leave and how uncomfortable he was making her. The goddess vowed to remember his face.

"I-I'm just passing through with my brother," Anna answered uncertainly. She didn't want to cause any problems for Kristoff, but she wanted to distance herself from this man as soon as possible.

"You should come join me for a drink, girlie," the man said as he took the seat next to Anna and put an arm around her shoulder. Elsa was furious, she was barely able to restrain herself from leaving Anna to go after this sleaze. Barely.

"N-no thank you," Anna stuttered, hoping Kristoff would return soon.

"Come on, I promise I'll show you a good time," he replied, her hesitance not dissuading him in the least.

"The lady said no," said a voice from behind. Both the table occupants turned to see a short man with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and blue eyes standing there. Anna recognized him as the bard who had joined their travel party shortly after they had left their village that morning. He had mostly kept to himself as they traveled, spending most of the trip looking around and strumming the lute that was now strapped to his back.

Elsa immediately recognized him, and fought a smirk. She had wondered when he'd show up again.

"Back off boy, the girl's mine," the drunken man slurred angrily. He stood up, towering over the bard by a good foot and a half.

The bard looked around the drunk to give Anna a once over before facing the man again. "I think she disagrees."

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you from way down there." He was laughing at his own joke before doubling over and screaming in pain.

Anna shifted to get a look at what was going on. The bard had wrapped the arm that was closest to the drunk around his shoulders while the other was in between the drunk's legs and had something in his hand that he was twisting. Realization dawned on Anna what he was holding and she crossed her legs as she was hit with sympathy pangs. She may not have the same parts as the man, but that didn't mean she couldn't pity him a little.

"Now that we're the same height you'll be able to hear me," the bard said conversationally as he led the drunk towards that exit. "Something to remember for future reference, no means no. Any questions," he asked as he stopped at the door. The drunk desperately shook his head no. "Good," the bard replied before kicking the door open and throwing him out. He turned back to Anna and gave her a wink before disappearing into the crowd. The memory faded as Kristoff approached the table to see what was going on.

Anna was still giggling when the sound of a lute playing came from the forest behind them.

"That sounds like a song I heard in DunBroch," Anna exclaimed as her face scrunched up in confusion. "I think Alex said it translated to 'The Noble Maiden Fair.' Why would that be playing?"

"Something in the tavern must have triggered a memory of the song," Elsa lied. "I have an idea, why don't you start on our snowman while I go make sure it's nothing?" Ever since their first night together they'd always built a snowman until Anna had to wake up. It had become a tradition Elsa hadn't wanted to end.

"Ok," Anna agreed, although it was clear she wasn't happy about it.

"Don't worry, _m__inn dýrr_, I won't be long," Elsa promised, lightly stroking the back of her hand on Anna's cheek.

Anna's eyes lit up at the term of endearment and leaned into Elsa's hand before rising and heading off to the snow bank to get started.

Elsa watched her for a moment before heading into the forest. Sitting on a boulder not too far in strumming his lute was Beasal, God of Travelers. He liked to pose as a mortal and spend time among them. As soon as he saw her he smiled but kept on playing. Once the song was done, he put his lute to the side and faced Elsa.

"It's been a while, Winter Goddess."

"Yes it has," Elsa replied, trying to figure out what he was up to. "You've busy, I see, with your wandering. Taken a liking to taverns and picking fights with drunks?"

The shorter God laughed as he hopped down from the boulder. Standing at his full height he barely made it to Elsa's shoulder. "You forgot rescuing damsels in distress."

"Clearly," Elsa deadpanned. "Tell me, what are you doing here?"

"I have good news, bad news, and the best news you could ever imagine."

"And that would be…?"

"Ok, good news: Odin is getting tired of Alderic's games and is almost ready to side with you on principal to teach that obnoxious shit a lesson. As long as Alderic or one of his brothers is the catalyst for war, you'll have his support and whatever neutral members answer his call to join you."

"That still has us going to war," Elsa said, frustrated. "I'm trying to avoid that."

"And I'm still trying to convince you to have sex with me, doesn't mean it's gonna happen," Beasal said with a smile.

Elsa let out a surprised laugh and shook her head. Anyone else and the Winter Goddess would have frozen them solid. "You've been trying that for two centuries, are you ever going to give up?"

"Probably not," he replied with a smirk.

"What's the bad news," Elsa asked, shaking her head.

The Winter Goddess got nervous when the smile disappeared from Beasal's face. He sighed before answering. "Alderic has sent someone after Anna."

"Who," the Winter Goddess demanded. "How do you know?"

"When I joined their group this morning I sensed a presence following us. Whoever she was sensed me as well, because she never got close enough for me to get a good read on. She didn't reveal herself until we stopped for the night at the tavern."

"How do you know it was a she?"

"Because she left behind footprints," Beasal explained. "I don't think she expected me to come walking by so soon. I left the tavern to make sure the guy I threw out didn't do something stupid and harass some innocent girl."

"Did you find him," Elsa growled. She was still trying to figure a fitting punishment for the worm.

"Yes, he was dead."

"What," she demanded, "how?"

"He was eviscerated," Beasal answered. Elsa could tell by the God's face just how much he was down playing the brutality of the scene. "She left a trail behind her that I could follow. In the middle of all the blood and gore there were footprints, small and feminine. I followed them into the forest nearby where they ended and bear tracks took their place."

"A shape shifter?"

"That's my guess," he replied with a sigh. "I think she took on her human appearance to try and get closer to Anna and that sleaze thought he had an easy target to take out his frustrations."

"How do you know she was after Anna?"

"Mere days after Odin publically chastises Alderic for going too far and all but sides with your cause a shape shifter is following the girl the entire Pantheon knows you're trying to court. Do you really think it's a coincidence?"

"I suppose not," Elsa sighed. "Were you able to find out anything else about this shape shifter? Could it have been the Goddess of the Forest?"

"Pocahontas," Beasal asked. "Na, she spends most of her time in the Americas painting with the wind's colors or something." At Elsa's raised eyebrow, he laughed and said, "Yeah that was my reaction when she told me. What can I say? She's always been a little crazy."

Elsa laughed and asked, "Didn't you try to have sex with her?"

"I try to have sex with every woman," Beasal laughed. "Why do you think I pose as a bard? Ladies love the appeal of a soulful poet, constantly wandering, searching for a kindred spirit to spend his life with…"

Elsa groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what's worse; the fact that you have the audacity to pull that or that it works more often than I want to know." Beasal laughed at the Winter Goddess' discomfort as he picked up his lute and started strumming a tune. Elsa lowered her hands and looked him over for a minute before asking, "So what's the last thing?"

"Hmm?"

"You said there were three things you needed to tell me. So what's this last one? I think you said it was the 'best news I could ever imagine.'"

"Oh right," he exclaimed, mirth dancing in his eyes. "I'm joining your cause, so we'll get to spend even more quality time together."

Elsa's eyebrows shot to her hairline as she asked, "You would make a commitment? You avoid those like the plague."

"Eh, I've always had a thing about legs and yours are by far the best I've ever seen," he answered with a smirk. As soon as the words left his mouth Elsa froze his hands to his lute. "Yup, I deserved that."

"Not that I don't enjoy being openly leered at, what's the real reason," Elsa asked as she unfroze his hands.

"Honestly," he sighed as put his lute to the side again, abnormally serious, "I can see what's coming."

"And that would be…?"

"Eventually, whether we want to or not, we will have to pick a side. I prefer to choose now instead of having the choice made for me later. Not to mention getting to ogle you again was a huge plus," he added with his trademark smirk.

"You're an ass," Elsa huffed out, unable to hide her smile.

"You wouldn't have me any other way," he replied with a wink as he stood. "And don't you worry, my brother and I will be sure to keep an eye on your girl in case that shape shifter returns. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get to DunBroch. Promised that pretty niece of yours I'd teach her how to play the lute."

"You even make a move to sleep with her I'll make sure your member is frozen to your leg for the rest of eternity," Elsa warned.

"Relax, she's already shot me down," Beasal said with a hint of disappointment.

"And you listened?"

"No means no," he replied. "I may something of a man slut, but that doesn't mean I don't respect it when someone's not interested. Besides, I wouldn't want to cross her; she's got your brains and Vidar's temper. I pity the man who thinks he can handle her," he said with a laugh as he departed.

Elsa just shook her head with a small smile as she headed back to Anna.

* * *

Anna looked over the first giant snowball she'd made to serve as the snowman's base. She didn't want to get too much done, since the fun was not so much making a snowman as it was spending time with Elsa. She blushed as she thought of the beautiful woman who had become a large part of her life.

It had been six years since Elsa and Shadow had first entered her dreams. Both wouldn't always be there at the same time, but it was always one or the other. As time went on and Anna started to mature, so did her dream companions: Shadow grew as big, as Kristoff predicted, if not bigger; Elsa grew taller and, in Anna's opinion, more beautiful.

She loved playing with Shadow, but it was the nights she got to spend with Elsa that she favored the most. She could tell her wolf sensed this, but didn't seem upset. On the contrary, she almost encouraged it. On the rare occasions they were both there, the dire wolf would lay on the ground quietly next to them, giving Anna and Elsa privacy, begging every so often for an ear scratch or a belly rub.

She started to consider Elsa to be one of her closest friends, and soon started to look forward to going to bed every night. She always shared anything that was troubling her, knowing she'd be able tell Elsa anything without fear of being judged. Whenever she was with her, she felt like anything was possible. And now…

My precious, that's what Elsa had called her. Could the blonde consider her more than a friend? Anna knew her feelings were starting to shift from friendship to something more, but was hesitant to give voice to them.

Truth was, she was embarrassed to have fallen in love with a figment of her imagination. She made the mistake of telling Kristoff about Elsa. He didn't say anything out loud, but she could tell from the look in his eye he thought she was letting her imagination get the best of her. Anna sighed sadly as she looked at her unfinished snowman.

"What's wrong," Elsa asked as she wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're a terrible liar," Elsa replied, her mouth next to Anna's right ear. The foreign sensation caused a shiver down Anna's spine and she could feel Elsa's smirk in response.

"Y-you were just gone a while," Anna was finally able to get out. Not a total lie, hopefully Elsa wouldn't call her out on it. "I was hoping to spend more time with you before I have to wake up."

"I'm sorry _m__inn dýrr_, I'm here now." Anna tensed at the term of endearment. "Does it bother you when I call you that," Elsa asked. Anna was shocked when she heard the nervousness in the other woman's voice. "I can stop if you want, the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, Anna."

When Elsa got no response, she started to pull her arms back from Anna's waist. The movement helped jolt Anna out of the stupor Elsa's words had caused, and she immediately turned and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck.

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable," Anna said quickly, looking into Elsa's eyes. "It makes me happy since I'm pretty sure I'm falling love with you and knowing you could feel the same causes butterflies to go off in my stomach, although it feels more like trolls rolling around. I just can't believe someone like you would want anything to do with me, it's completely awkward. You're not awkward, I'm awkward, you're gorgeous, but you probably already know that. I mean, look at you, you're practically a goddess!" Elsa smirked down at Anna she wrapped her arms around the rambling girl's waist. "I mean seriously, you're gorgeous, and got a great personality to boot, and what's up with that? People who are as pretty as you are stuck up. I mean, you're not stuck up, you're the nicest person I've ever met…"

"Anna, breathe," Elsa interjected.

"… but it seems like most girls who are as pretty as you just go out of their way to be mean, you know? Not that you surround yourself with mean people, you're too nice for that. I mean you might? Who am I to judge? I hang out with some strange people. You're not strange! It's just a dire wolf isn't a normal companion, and then there's my brother who has a really weird relationship with his reindeer. I'm pretty sure it's not natural to share carrots like they do. And then there's Alex, who's a princess, and who can honestly say they're friends with royalty? Well, other royals I guess-"

Anna was interrupted when Elsa brought her lips down on hers for a chaste kiss, causing her to squeak in surprise. Elsa pulled back a little to smile down at Anna.

"Thank you for the complements that were buried in there," Elsa said with a smirk as Anna's face exploded in a blush. "I'm here with you because I'm pretty sure I've also fallen for you. You help give me the strength I need to get through some difficult situations I'm dealing with. And yes, you can be awkward, but you have a beautiful soul that matches your beautiful face." Elsa's smirk morphed into a large smile as the blush on Anna's face deepened. "And no, I don't understand why those blessed with a pretty exterior seem to have a rotten interior. My closest companion also happens to be a dire wolf, and I may share much with him, I have never crossed the line your brother has with Sven," Elsa said, looking a little grossed out at the thought of their relationship.

Unable to contain herself, Anna threw herself into Elsa's embrace, burying her head in the taller woman's shoulder.

"And Anna," Elsa said softly, her mouth once again next to Anna's ear, "You cause trolls to start rolling around in my stomach too."

Anna squeaked happily as she turned her head to face the blonde. Elsa started to kiss her again, and Anna passionately returned it, opening her mouth when she felt Elsa start to run her tongue along her bottom lip. She moaned as the taste of other woman, a minty flavor, invaded her mouth.

They remained in their passionate embrace until Anna woke up, the taste of mint still on her lips.


	8. Confessions

A/N: Over 100 follows and 6500 views! You guys are awesome! Thank you to everyone who's left a review/PM'd me with thoughts/suggestions. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to tell me what they think, even if I don't like or agree with what's said. It helps me improve as a writer and in turn come up with a better story for people to enjoy. I just want everyone to know I appreciate the support! Sorry if this chapter doesn't flow well; this story has a lot of moving parts and I don't want one story line to be neglected and forgotten so I'm trying something a little different. All different sections are taking place around the same time (six months after the last chapter ended)

* * *

Alex looked out the castle window at the fields of DunBroch and sighed. She hated being trapped indoors on such a glorious summer day. Winter was coming, so there weren't going to be many days like this for long. She'd much rather be out enjoying it, riding Donor, the horse her Aunt Merida gifted her with on her sixteenth birthday.

Her time since she'd arrived in the Highlands had been eventful. Almost immediately her Aunt Merida, next in line for the throne of DunBroch, had taken her in and raised her like her own daughter. Alex was glad her aunt was the one who took her in. She loved her royal grandparents, but she knew her upbringing would have been far stricter under her grandmother than it was under aunt.

Her aunt made sure she had the opportunity to pursue her own interests and was overjoyed to hear of Alex's desire to learn archery. Alex smiled as she remembered her aunt's reaction the first time she'd loosed an arrow and nailed a bull's eye.

"Oy, lass, you're a natural alright," Merida said, placing an arm around her shoulders with a proud smile on her face. "Must run in the family," she said with a wink as she left to retrieve the arrow from the target.

"You have no idea," Alex muttered under her breath, thinking of her other aunt's legendary prowess with a bow. They spent the rest of the day in the woods, practicing different shots of various difficulties.

It wasn't all fun, however. As Merida's adopted daughter, she was the assumed heir to the throne after Merida, which she kept insisting to her aunt she didn't want. As the presumed heir, she was required to spend her days with her grandmother for royal etiquette lessons along with her three uncles.

SLAM!

Alex jumped as book was slammed on the table she where she sat, forcing her attention away from her thoughts.

"A princess does not waste her time day dreaming," Queen Elinor stated primly as she stood in front of Alex.

"I apologize, grandmother. I suppose I'm just a little restless."

The queen heaved a sigh and with a small smile said, "I suppose this is as good a time as any to end for the day. Go on, just be ready to make up for lost time tomorrow."

"Thank you grandmother," Alex said excitedly as she burst from her chair.

As she ran from the room, she heard one of her uncles whine, "How come she gets to leave?"

"Because she was not caught creating an elaborate plan to look up the skirts of the castle's female staff," the queen replied icily. Alex snickered as she quickly made her way outside.

Alex headed out to the town square in search of the town postmaster. As soon as he saw the princess he sent her a rueful smile.

"I know you're not here to ask if you've any letters from across the sea."

"You know I am," Alex responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Lass, your letters just went out a few weeks ago. You know it'll be at least another couple of weeks to get a response from them."

"There's always a chance it could have come sooner…"

"Perhaps, but it takes longer than three weeks to make two trips across the North Sea."

"Alright," Alex sighed dejectedly. "See you tomorrow!"

She ran off as the postmaster shook his head. She knew how long it took to get a reply from Anna and Kristoff, she'd been sending them letters for the past six years. She'd also been able to convince her royal grandparents to pay for another trip for Anna and Kristoff's family to visit DunBroch since they refused to let her leave the kingdom. The letters were the only connection Alex had to her closest friends and she just wanted to make sure that she got the letter as soon as it came in. So Alex would pester the postmaster every day until they finally arrived.

The young royal headed to the Temple of Beasal to see if she could convince him to help speed up the deliveries. When she entered she saw a temple acolyte wrapping up his duties. Alex watched him out of the corner of her eye as she walked up to the alter and respectfully bowed her head. Still watching him, she started to pray, "God of Travelers, please hear my humble plea…"

Seeing that Alex was showing proper supplication, the acolyte left to give her privacy. Once he was gone, Alex said, "Come on, you useless bastard, show yourself. I know you're here."

"Useless, am I," asked Beasal, leaning on the right side of his alter, smile on his face. "Then perhaps I'll stop the favorable wind I sent to the trade ship to hurry your letters along."

"You do that, you'll miss out on the chance to laugh at Kristoff as he blushes like a school girl," Alex retorted.

"Fair point, lass," he said with a laugh. "I don't know what you're writing to him, but it sets his face on fire."

"Nothing obscene that would scandalize my family," Alex said defensively. Beasal gave her a look that screamed 'bull shit', so she laughed and amended, "Alright, it would scandalize my royal grandmother, but that's pretty easy to do. Aunt Merida would laugh. Probably."

She knew her relationship with Kristoff was changing as the years went on, but it was their last visit a year ago when she could see just how much he had grown to care for her, which solidified her feelings for him. It was probably cheating, considering all she had to do was concentrate and she could immediately see what he was feeling, and it should have made things easier. Instead in only complicated things.

She didn't want to risk scaring him off by openly declaring that she thought of him as more than a friend. He was a good man, and might think that the son of a commoner had no business courting a member of the royal family. So a plan formulated in her mind, she decided to start shamelessly flirting with him in her letters, trying to get a response from him. According to Beasal, it was having an effect on him, if his blush was anything to go by.

"Don't worry, lass, you'll hear from them soon," Beasal comforted as he pulled out his lute. "I got some time before I have to head North. Why don't you show me what you remember?"

"Alright," Alex huffed out, taking the proffered instrument. "But don't laugh if I don't remember much."

"No promises," he replied with a smirk.

* * *

Anna could barely contain herself as she dragged Kristoff by the arm into the village square. A trader had just restocked the village shops, and that meant there was a chance post from outside the village could have been delivered.

She pushed through the door of Oaken's Trading Post, which had opened six months ago, not too long after Anna and Kristoff had returned to the village.

"Yoo-hoo," came the cheery voice of Oaken, the mountain of a man who owned the shop. He was seated behind a large desk that was loaded down with merchandise. "Big summer blow out! Low, low prices on all remaining summer stock!"

"No thanks," Anna said as she looked around for any evidence of the post being delivered.

"What about you, lad," Oaken asked Kristoff.

"I got a list from my father of supplies we need to prepare for winter," Kristoff replied, handing the merchant his list. "I know it's only the end of summer, but winter keeps coming earlier and earlier..."

"Best to be prepared," Oaken agreed. "Should be able to fill your order no problem. Are you sure there's nothing I can get for you, dear?"

Anna looked up and could tell from his smirk he knew what she was after. "I was wondering if any mail had been in this last delivery…"

"Well, it just so happens I have two letters, one for the each of you, right here," he said with a large smile as he produced the two letters from behind his desk. It was obvious from the markings, as well as the wear and tear, where the letters had originated from. Anna squealed happily as she took her letter from Alex and ripped it open, scanning the contents.

Kristoff just shook his head with a smile as he stuffed his own in his pack. He was just as excited as his sister to receive a letter from Alex, but planned on reading his in the privacy of his room when Anna wasn't around. Especially if they had the same tone as the last few. He wasn't sure where the Highlander princess had learned to flirt like that...

Just then the door opened, revealing Oaken's older brother, Asal. It was amusing to all who saw them together that Oaken was the younger of the two, since Asal was so short and Oaken toward over everyone he met.

"Brother," Oaken greeted happily. "I didn't know you were going to be back so soon! I thought you'd still be out wandering."

"You know me," the bard replied, "I don't like to stick to any sort of pattern." It was true. Asal would show up at random times in between his wanderings, staying at the local tavern regaling locals with stories of his travels. Kristoff remembered meeting him for the first time on Anna's first trip away from the village; it was hard to forget the man who had helped prevent some drunk from violating his sister. "Plus, I needed to talk to you about something important."

"We were just heading out," Kristoff stated, getting the feeling Asal didn't want whatever he had to tell Oaken to be overheard. He guided his sister out of the shop as she excitedly read the letter.

Once the siblings had left the shop Oaken turned to his older brother and asked, "How bad is it?"

Beasal faced his brother, leaning on the desk and sighed. "Bad. The Southern Gods are getting bolder. We should be far enough north to keep the Southerners away, probably the only thing that's kept Anna safe all these years."

"No more?"

Beasal shook his head sadly. "There's a new cult gaining popularity in Arendelle and slowly spreading outward. Couldn't get close enough to find out much except that it's being led by one of Alderic's high priests." At Oaken's curious look, he explained, "I saw him sneaking into one of their gathering places. Would have listened in, but they had some sort of enchantment in place keeping me from getting too close."

"Elsa won't like that," Oaken warned.

"No she won't."

Oaken sighed. "This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"

"Much worse," Beasal agreed sadly.

* * *

Kristoff sat at the desk in the room he shared with his sister. He had a blank sheet of paper in front of him as well as a quill pen and a small jar of ink. He had first pulled everything out shortly after reading Alex's letter. That had been over two hours ago and he still had no idea what to write. This last letter was the most forward she'd sent to date, but even still he couldn't tell if it was meaningless flirting or something more. With an angry sigh he turned away, his eyes falling on his sister who'd come in recently and was getting settled in her bed.

"Still working on your response," Anna asked with a laugh.

"Shut up," he replied angrily.

"You're hopeless," Anna said with a grunt as she reached under her bed. She pulled out a small box containing all the letters she'd gotten from Alex and pulled out the most recent one. "Here," she said extending the letter out. As Kristoff grabbed it, she said, "Just read the part about you, second to last paragraph."

Kristoff scanned the letter until he came upon the paragraph she mentioned.

"…_. Do me a favor, if you could? I keep trying to get a proper response from your brother and I'm running out of ideas. I tried being as straight forward as I could with him like you suggested and let him know how I felt about him, but my gut tells me it might not be enough. You know how stubborn he can be, convincing himself I'm just messing with him or something. Can you help me get through to him that I really, really like him? Maybe hit him over the head with a rock or something (Kidding! Please don't actually do this!). I'm really getting sick of all these balls for potential suitors Aunt Merida and I are always dragged to, I'd love to quickly shut these fortune hunters down by saying I'm already taken. All these 'men' may be considered noble, but none of them ever killed to protect me, especially when they had no idea who I was. That's gotta count for something…"_

Kristoff reread that paragraph three or four times before Anna snatched it back.

"There, now you know she really does like you. So can you please just tell her you like her back so she'll stop pestering me?"

"It's not that simple, Anna," Kristoff sighed as he made his way back to the desk.

"It is if you don't over complicate it," she replied sleepily.

Kristoff watched his sister fall asleep and a smile form on her lips, she must be with Elsa again. When Anna had first told him about her, he assumed her imagination was getting the better of her and that she was losing touch with reality. As time went on and he saw how happy she was every morning he started to regret his initial reaction. If this dream woman made his sister happy, who was he to judge? Maybe things really could be that simple.

_Maybe things really could be that simple._

He sighed as he turned to pick up his quill pen and dipped it in the ink.

"_Dear Alex,_

_Hopefully you will not think me too bold, but after reading your last letter I wished to express what you've come to mean to me…"_

* * *

Anna was walking hand in hand with Elsa, both enjoying the companionable silence. Anna kept thinking on the letter she got from Alex. She'd been nervous since she told her friend about Elsa. Instead of judging her, Alex simply replied 'legends are lessons,' and sent a translated copy of an old Highlander legend of two lovers meeting in their dreams. She also recommended trying to find out about Elsa's past to prove she wasn't just a dream. Figments of your imaginations don't have a back story… right?

"What's on your mind, Anna," Elsa asked, startling the auburn haired girl. "I can hear how hard you're thinking from here."

"I was just wondering about your past," Anna asked, deciding honesty would be her best bet. They had stopped walking and were now facing each other, hands still connected.

"My past," Elsa asked hesitantly.

"Well, it's just that you know everything about me, and I know almost nothing about you… so I was hoping to get to know you a little better," Anna replied nervously, voice trailing off.

"I…I…" Elsa stalled, not sure how to respond.

"It's ok," Anna said sadly, looking down, after Elsa had remained quiet for some time. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand if you don't trust me or…"

"It's not that," Elsa quickly assured. "I-I don't know if I can explain it-"

She was interrupted by Anna getting hit on the side of the face with snow. They both turned in the direction the snow had come from to see Shadow, she had snuck up on the pair as they had been distracted. She was crouched so face was on the ground, her nose buried in the snow and her rear was high in the air, tail wagging so fast her entire body seemed to be vibrating.

"That's not funny Shadow," Anna shouted angrily. She was trying to have an important conversation with the most important person in her life and this stupid wolf was trying to play…

"Relax, Anna," Elsa said soothingly as she wiped the snow from the side of her love's face. "She's just playing, there's no need to get angry. I'm sure-"

Elsa was again interrupted as snow went flying, this time hitting her. Elsa saw the look of shocked amusement on Anna's face as she raised a hand to brush the snow off her face. "You know," Elsa said calmly, "forget what I was just saying. Let's get that mutt."

They both started chasing Shadow, who yipped happily before running from the pair. They chased the wolf around the forest until they both collapsed, laughing, against their favorite tree to cuddle by. Shadow clearly still had energy to burn, jumping around and barking at the pair. Anna watched fascinated as Elsa created a snow reindeer for the dire wolf to chase and maul to her heart's content.

"How can you do that," Anna asked as she settled comfortably between Elsa's legs, her head resting on her chest.

"This is a dream, isn't it," Elsa replied evasively.

"I suppose," Anna sighed. Although that was true, Anna was starting to suspect there was more to it. However, she didn't want to ruin the peacefulness of the moment, so she kept her thoughts to herself and instead relaxed against her beloved.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Elsa said softly after a long moment. Anna sat up to look her in the eye as she continued to speak. "It's just that… my life has always been very complicated, and until recently, has not had a lot of happiness. There are a lot of painful moments I've left buried that I would have to face."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Anna said frantically.

"Yes you did," Elsa replied with a smile, bringing up a hand to cup Anna's cheek. "And I want you to ask, I need you to _want_ to get to know me. I'm just going to need some time to sort through everything before I can tell you. Can you wait for that," Elsa asked nervously, biting her lip.

"Of course," Anna replied happily, leaning up to kiss her. Just then, the reindeer Elsa created hopped over them. 'Oh no,' Anna thought just before Shadow barreled into the pair, intent on catching her prey.

"I'm gonna kill that wolf," Anna muttered from her new position on her back. She opened her eyes just to realize the impact had caused Elsa to fall on top of her. She gulped audibly at the feel of the older woman straddling her. "Or find a way to bring a giant reindeer steak into my dreams to give her…"

Elsa laughed happily as she leaned down to capture Anna's lips. Neither girl noticed the dire wolf and reindeer watching them. They looked over at each other, silently congratulating each other on a job well done before heading deeper into the forest to continue their game where they wouldn't disturb the pair.


	9. Inner Struggles

A/N: First off, let me apologize for how long this took, but as you can see, there's a reason for it. Two very long chapters at one time. Lots of back story all around!

Second, I need to apologize. Originally when I started writing this, Alex was supposed to be important, but not as much of a focus as she became. It became clear that I needed to giver her more of a back story then I had up to this point. Otherwise, as it was pointed out to me (multiple times) she seemed one dimensional. Since I have no plans to remove her from the story, this is my attempt at character development for her. But since I didn't want to post a chapter with her being the sole focus, I waited until I finished up the next chapter. Hope you like it, please keep letting me know any feedback you have. I love seeing it, and I do read over it all. Thank you again for all the support I've gotten for this story! I always get excited every time I see a follower alert or story review! Keeps me motivated to keep working!

* * *

Alex sprinted through the castle towards the front gates, tears blurring her vision. She pushed past random guards and whoever else had the misfortune of getting in her way as she made her way out. Once she was free, she kept running, she wasn't even sure where she was headed, just knew she had to get away. The castle was suffocating her, she felt like she could hardly breathe.

Without conscious thought, she made her way to the Temple of the Winter Goddess. The temple had become a second home to her, offering her a refuge even when Elsa was not present. Overcome by emotion, she fell to her hands and knees in front of the alter. She rested her head on the ground between her arms and started sobbing, her grief overwhelming her.

Alex had been walking with her grandmother in the great hall going over the day's etiquette lesson. At one point they stopped in front of a portrait of a young girl, maybe fifteen years old. Alex tried to pay attention to what her grandmother was saying, but the picture distracted her, the girl in the painting looked familiar. She had straight hair like the Queen's, eyes that seemed to have mischief dancing in them, and wore a smile that almost looked like she was smirking.

"Who is this, Grandmother," Alex asked, pointing to the image. The older woman tensed but didn't say anything, fighting back tears as she worked hard to keep her face neutral. Alex wondered at what could have caused this reaction in the regal Queen and reached out a hand to try and comfort her royal grandmother.

Before her hand could reach her, the Queen spoke with a tight voice, never taking her eyes off the portrait, "That's your mother, just before she left to go North."

Alex froze, hand hovering just over her grandmother's arm, and her eyes snapped back to the image of her mother. After taking a minute to compose herself, the Queen announced their lessons were done for the day, and rushed out of the room, leaving Alex gaping at the picture. How could she have forgotten what her mother looked like? When she'd first arrived at DunBroch she'd suffered from nightmares of her mother's last moments and as a result had done her best to stop thinking of her to try and prevent the dreams. But to have completely forgotten her…? Alex sobbed harder at the thought.

Her distress must have called to the Goddess of Winter, because the next thing she knew, she felt cold hands on her shoulders, pulling up so her head rested on the Goddess' chest. One arm rested around her shoulders while the other rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"Let it go, dear one," the Goddess whispered to her. "You've bottled up this pain long enough, just let it go."

"I forgot her," Alex sobbed. "I pushed out her memory for so long I forgot my own mother!"

The Goddess held her tighter in response, sensing her niece's distress. "You did not forget her, child. You just had to mentally prepare yourself to confront your last memories of her. There is no shame in that."

"I don't want to forget her," she sobbed.

"It won't be easy," the Goddess warned, "the nightmares will return." Unbeknownst to Alex, Elsa had conspired with Belle to hold back on dreams of her mother until the girl was ready to deal with them. If Alex wanted to remember her mother, however, she would have to face the memories, and the nightmares, head on.

"W-will you help me," Alex asked nervously, shifting to make eye contact.

Elsa smiled down at the girl and answered, "Of course, dear one. I'll always be there when you need me." Alex started sobbing again, and Elsa held her tighter, offering what comfort she could.

It was dark by the time Alex returned to the castle. She quietly made her way to her grandparents' chambers, hoping to apologize to her grandmother. She tentatively knocked on their door, just for it to slowly creak open. Peering in, she could see her grandmother lying on her bed, curled into herself, sobbing.

Knocking a bit louder, she stuck her head in and asked, "Grandmother, may I come in?" The Queen sat up, wiping her eyes with one hand while waving Alex in with the other.

Alex slowly climbed onto the bed next to her, trying to think of what to say to make up for all the pain she had caused her grandmother. They sat in an awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity before the Queen let out a small laugh and said, "You're just like her, you know."

"I am?"

She nodded silently before saying, "Aili was the quiet one, always watching what others were doing, what was going on around her. Like you, she didn't open up to many people. She only really got close to Merida; I think it hit her the hardest when she left."

"What happened," Alex asked quietly.

The Queen shrugged, still not looking at her granddaughter, "I don't know. One day she was here and the next she was gone. There was a note on her bed saying she'd gone out to explore the land across the sea and she'd write when she got settled. We sent out riders looking for her, but could never find any trace of where she had gone. It was almost fifteen years later we finally heard from her and that was to say she was coming home and was bringing her daughter. When almost a month past and we still hadn't heard anything, Fergus set out to look for her."

Her voice broke as emotion again overwhelmed the queen. Alex quietly watched her before softly saying, "She used to talk about all of you when I was little." Her grandmother's head shot up, locking her red-rimmed eyes with Alex. "She would tell stories of her adventures with Aunt Merida and all the mischief my uncles would cause. Her favorite time to tell stories was on the fall equinox after we returned home from the Temple of Skadi."

A small smile formed on her grandmother's face before she asked, "She always loved that festival. She'd look forward to it every year."

"We never really stuck around for the festival after the ceremony at the temple," Alex reminisced softly. "We would go to the Winter Goddess' temple to pay her tribute during the morning ceremony, leaving an offering for Her and Vidar." Growing up, Alex knew the shape shifter was her father and couldn't understand why he was absent. Although young, she could see how much her mother missed him, even though she always wore a brave face. Swallowing around a lump that had appeared in her throat, Alex continued, "After the temple we would go home and spend the rest of the day in front of the fire where Mother would tell stories growing up in the Highlands." She would also tell stories of her father; it was the only time she would ever talk about him.

Alex fought to hold back her tears, but they started to creep out. "It's alright to cry, child," her grandmother said as she put her arm around her shoulders. Alex looked up to see tears silently making their way down the older woman's face. "I miss her too. There's no shame in mourning her, we've both put it off long enough."

With little prodding on the Queen's part, Alex buried her face in her grandmother's neck and wept for the second time that day. The Queen gently rocked her granddaughter and softly sang 'The Noble Maiden Fair'.

"Mother used to sing that to me, especially when I was scared," Alex sobbed out.

"I used to sing it to all my children," the Queen replied. There was a small smile that formed at the thought of her daughter carrying that on to comfort her own child. The two stayed that way until they both fell asleep.

King Fergus and Merida entered some time later, looking for the young royal. They shared a smile at the sight and silently crept out. Alex and Queen Elinor had never been particularly close, the Queen keeping the distance due to her grief in losing her youngest daughter. They both took this as a good sign that the two would finally bond.

* * *

Alex tried to run, but her legs wouldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. She was in the middle of the woods, ruins of the caravan she'd been traveling with all around. There was no color here; as always, all she saw was shades of grey.

"Come on," she yelled in frustration, trying to force her legs to do something, but to no avail. She had to get moving! "Come on, come on, come on…"

An ear piercing scream cut through the air, catching her attention.

"Mama," Alex yelled, body still not responding. She watched in horror as men dressed in battle leathers circled her mother, taunting her. She could see blood seeping out of her side where they had cut her.

"Leave her alone," Alex shouted, trying to get the men off of her mother, but no one even looked her way. They pulled her mother to the ground and started cutting away her clothes while one man had a knife at her throat.

"MAMA," Alex screamed as she collapsed to the ground. She had closed her eyes, but that didn't stop her from seeing the memory.

Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, cool, pale arms wrapped around her hunched shoulders.

"Hush, young one," a familiar voice said softly. "You're alright, this is just a dream."

Alex opened her eyes and looked up to see an image of Elsa holding her close, a kind but worried expression on her face.

"Just breathe and it will pass," she said trying to help Alex calm down. She pulled the young girl to her and said, "This is just a dream, nothing here can hurt you."

Alex fought to control her breathing and looked around. She was still in the forest, but now it was empty save for the vegetation. There was no sign of the caravan or any of the people. Once Alex had calmed down enough she pulled back and said, "Thank you for helping me."

"Of course, young one," she replied with a smile. "That's what I'm here for."

Alex just nodded before looking down and saying, "I know you're not really my aunt." She risked a quick glance up to see a rueful smirk on the other woman's face.

"And here I thought I'd had my impersonation of her down. Oh well," she said with a sigh. The woman waved her left hand and immediately changed from an image of the Winter Goddess to a beautiful brown haired, brown eyed woman in a golden dress. "My name is Belle, Elsa and I have known each other for a long time. She asked that I watch over you, I hope you're not angry…"

Alex shook her head and replied, "I'm not upset. Seeing her is the fastest way to calm me down and I know she can't be here to help me. Not with everything going on..."

"She wanted to," Belle volunteered. "Not being here was one of the hardest decisions she's ever made. I could see how heavily it was weighing on her, she's very worried about you."

"Is that why she had you block these images for the past seven years," Alex asked with a small smirk. At Belle's wide eyed look, she explained, "I recognize you from your image at the temple in DunBroch, Dream Goddess. I also know my aunt, and know she would have asked you to do that."

"She was worried about you," Belle repeated.

"I know, and thank you," Alex said, unable to make eye contact. "I wouldn't have been able to handle the nightmares when I was ten. I can't even handle them now," she said with a rueful laugh.

"What you saw was horrific," Belle said firmly, her seriousness catching the young royal off guard. "This is not something you can just get over, and berating yourself for struggling with this will only make the process harder. You're not weak just because you need help."

"No, I'm weak because I couldn't save her," Alex said quietly, looking away.

"You were ten," Belle stated.

"Doesn't matter, I could have saved her," Alex shouted angrily. She stood up and started to pace, running her hands through her hair agitatedly. "I could have saved her, instead I was too scared to do anything but stand there!"

"You were ten," Belle repeated. She stood up and blocked Alex's pacing. "Stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't have prevented. You're not helping by doing that."

Alex sighed heavily and looked down. "I don't know how."

"You'll figure it out," Belle replied kindly. "And there are those around you who will gladly help you."

"I know," Alex replied softly.

"Now, I think there's been enough sadness in your dreams tonight," Belle announced. "Something pleasant is in order. Any requests?"

Alex bit her lip and looked down as a blush invaded her face. "I-Is there any way you could show me color? I've been color blind ever since I was four and it's been so long. I remember seeing colors, just not what they look like…" Her voice trailed off, embarrassed.

Belle looked down at the girl with warm smile, she knew it was hard for the young girl to admit any perceived weakness, even one as out of her control as color blindness. An idea came to her, and she had to fight back a smirk "Is that all you would like," the Dream Goddess prodded, "just color?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Alex answered with a quiet voice, blushing profusely, "it would be nice if Kristoff could be in it."

A smirk filled the Dream Goddess' face as she responded, "That can be arranged." Alex looked up to see a mischievous gleam in Belle's eyes, but before she could comment on it, Belle raised an arm, causing her dream to shift. "A quick question before I continue," Belle asked, the dream swirling around them, "how did you know I wasn't Elsa? I knew I wouldn't have been able to keep the ruse up for long, but you figured it out much quicker than I anticipated."

Alex smiled bashfully before saying, "You called me young one."

"So?"

"She calls me dear one."

"That's what I get for not paying closer attention," Belle said with an amused sigh. Before Alex could comment, the dream took shape.

She found herself alone in a small, but cozy, one room cabin. There was a fire roaring and she could see from the window by the door it was night. To her delight she could see the play of reds and oranges in the fire, the green in the curtain over the window next to the door, the brown of the wood that made up the walls… As she walked around taking in her surroundings, the door to the cabin opened and Kristoff walked in, an armload of firewood in his grasp. As soon as he saw her a large smile spread along his face. Alex smiled at seeing him as much as finally seeing his blonde hair and brown eyes for the first time.

Belle watched the two for a minute before deciding she should leave.

"She has no idea she's in his dream, does she," a voice said next to her ear, causing her to jump.

Belle quickly turned around seeing Beasal standing there with a large smirk. She punched him hard on the shoulder and said angrily, "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," he laughed. Belle glared at him, but he just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to answer his question.

She sighed and said, "No, she doesn't know this is his dream. I was hoping this would help encourage him to send off the letter he's been sitting on where he finally confesses his feelings."

"Good luck with that," Beasal said with an eye roll.

"What are you doing here," Belle asked suspiciously, eyebrow raised.

"I like to mess with his dreams," Beasal confessed. At Belle's glare, he raised his hands in surrender and said, "As soon as he decides to be a real man and send the letter I'll stop, I promise."

"Do I even want to know what you had planned," she asked with a sigh.

"Probably not," the God of Travelers answered honestly with a smile.

"I have to go," Belle said, shaking her head.

"Off to see your man?"

"Yes," Belle answered quietly, mood shifting suddenly. "Hopefully this is one of his good nights and he remembers me."

"If not, you could always come tame my beast," Beasal offered, hoping to cause the Dream Goddess to smile. Everyone knew what Gaston had done to her love. One more reason to join Elsa's cause…

"Go wrestle an ice troll," Belle muttered, unable to completely hide her smile.

"And risk scaring this handsome face? Not a chance."

"Yes, I've seen you fight," Belle snickered. "It's definitely creative."

"Admiring my moves, are you," he asked with a wink.

"Hardly," Belle said rolling her eyes. "Just tried to figure out where you came up with it."

"My fighting style comes down to on key point," Beasal explained as he leaned close, as if sharing a secret. "I don't like pain."

"That's not the what that gypsy Esmeralda was saying," Belle replied. "Something involving whips and chains…?"

"No need to be jealous, you're always welcome to give it a go," he leered jokingly, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"You know me well enough to know I have… _bigger_… standards," she replied, pointedly looking down his pants. "Best for me to be off, and you too. Let them have their privacy."

"You know I love it when you boss me around," he said, getting in one last shot. Belle simply rolled her eyes before disappearing, Beasal not to far behind.

* * *

Several months later, Anna was excitedly reading the letter Alex had sent her. She had been worried when only one arrived for her and not Kristoff, concerned that his had been lost, when he sheepishly confessed he never sent one off to her. After receiving a few hard punches from his sister and being called a coward, she ripped open her letter to read it as they walked home.

"She says that she was able to convince her grandparents to join Princess Merida on her upcoming trip and should be here in time for my seventeenth birthday! She even says she has a gift for me," Anna said excitedly. "Maybe she'll give me a bow like hers!"

"Judging by what happened the last time you went near one of those around her family I'm gonna guess that's highly unlikely," Kristoff said with a small laugh.

"No one was hurt," she said defensively.

"You shot King Fergus in the leg!"

"It was the wooden one," she countered, blush rising at the memory. Fortunately for her the highlander king didn't seem too upset about it, but made sure that she was kept away from the archery equipment after that.

As they talked, Anna noticed Helga where she was sitting with a group of her friends. Helga was the daughter of the village leader and for whatever reason she'd always hated Anna and went out of her way to make Anna's life hell. Judging by the nasty smirk firmly placed on the girl's face, today was going to be no different. Anna did her best to hide her fear and tried to steal herself for whatever her tormentor had planned.

* * *

Alex walked to the stables, kicking up fallen leaves as she went. Autumn had come to the Highlands and she loved taking in its beauty. Fall had always been her favorite time of the year.

The Goddess had been right. It was months before she could sleep through the night again and even longer for her to block out the memory of her mother's screams whenever she thought of her. Elsa had kept her word and was with her every step of the way, as was her Aunt Merida. Whenever an especially bad nightmare hit causing her to wake up screaming, her royal aunt would quickly enter her room and lay with her until she was able to fall back to sleep. She usually wouldn't leave Alex's beside on those nights and would brush off her niece's apologies for interrupting her sleep.

Eventually she was able to block out the worst of the memories whenever she thought of her mother. As soon as she mastered that, she fought and held onto every memory that she could of her. Whenever a new one came to her, she always shared them with her family, especially her grandmother. Although the Queen had initially been standoffish towards her, they were able to bond over their shared grief of losing her mother.

Alex was grateful she had put the effort into building a relationship with her grandmother, she had no doubt that was the only reason her Aunt Merida was able to talk her grandparents into allowing her to go with her on her upcoming trip across the North Sea. It had only been a several months since she'd seen them, but she really missed Anna and Kristoff.

She was glad she was able to hold onto her friendship with Anna, true friends were hard to find, especially amongst the crowd her royal blood attracted. Yes, Alex thought happily, she was glad to have a friend in her. And then there was Kristoff... She wasn't sure what to do about him. He never replied to her last letter, and she was starting to get nervous. Beasal did his best to try to reassure her, but still she worried. She had no idea how to proceed, and the God of Travelers was even less help in that regard. His last suggestion was to send him one of her undergarments. Alex snickered to herself as she tried to imagine her family's reaction to that one. '_Ah well_,' she sighed to herself. She'd see Kristoff soon enough to work this out face to face. Even if things went badly between them, at least she'd be able to see the North lands again.

She was looking forward to the trip. The Highlands had become her home, but she missed the Nordic lands. It was where she had lived most of her life and she could feel some inner desire telling her to go back. She wouldn't abandon the family that had so readily taken her in, but she would find a way to make her home across the sea.

She was pulled from her musings as she heard shouting coming from the royal stables. Alex started sprinting, bursting in as soon as she got to the main door to see what was going on. Stable hands were rushing about, trying to calm the horses that were all panicking in their stalls.

"Git tho' beasts unner control," Doyle the stable master shouted out to his charges. "We'll figure out what spooked 'em once we make sure they don' rip the stables apart inna stampede!"

"What's happening," Alex demanded, making her way to the grizzled red-headed stable master. Doyle was well over six feet and toned from the years of working with horses. He'd served the royal family since the king gave him a job as a stable hand when he was just a boy.

"This no place for you right now," he said angrily to the young royal. "You need to get outta here before you get hurt."

"The hell I will," she shot back angrily.

"Look, princess, somethin's got the horses riled and they're all goin' nuts. I don't wanna haf ta worry about explainin to the Queen how you got crushed under unner these beasts."

As if on cue, a loud crash came from behind them as one of the draft horses broke out of his stalls and Alex immediately recognized it as her horse Donor. He was from the same line as Angus, her aunt's horse, and looked almost identical with black hair and a white patch on his face.

"Easy boy," she said, soothingly, holding her hands in the air and grabbing his reins. She saw he had been saddled and ready to ride. It was normal for her to take him out every afternoon once she was done with her lessons; no doubt the staff had saddled him in preparation for her arrival. "Easy there, Donor, everything's alright, nothing's gonna hurt you boy," she whispered to her horse, trying to comfort him.

He reacted immediately, calming enough to allow Alex to stroke his nose soothingly. Still sensing his unease, she reached out and sent calming waves to help relax him. She learned early on that she had an affinity to communicating with animals, which shouldn't have surprised her too much considering who her father was, considering who she was. She was always careful with her abilities and never used them in front of others, but this was a special case. If these horses didn't calm down, someone could get killed.

Doyle watched the interaction between girl and horse closely. In all his years working with the animals, he'd never seen anything like it; it was almost as if her very presence calmed the horse. And it wasn't just him, the other horses seemed to be under whatever spell the young royal was casting.

Noticing the other stable hands watching the pair, he turned to them and started barking, "Don' jus' stan' around doin nothin! Whaddya think I'm payin ya for, bein borin? Do it on yir own time! Git tho' horses secured! If whatever caused this comes back, I don wanna to worry about em breakin free again!" He turned back around to see Alex walking with her horse towards him. "Don' know what ya did, princess, but thank you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, blushing and looking away.

"As you say, your highness," he said with a bow and small smirk. He knew better than to ask too many questions.

"Could you take Donor," Alex asked as she handed him the reins. "He'll need to be placed somewhere else until repairs to his stall are completed."

"Of course," the stable master said as he watched her turn away and head to the small armory attached to the stable. A minute later she exited with a longbow and a quiver of arrows. "What're you plannin, your highness?"

"I want to find out what caused this," Alex replied. "Please keep a close eye on the horses; I have a bad feeling about all this."

"Then perhaps the guards should handle this," Doyle suggested pointedly. He had seen her handle herself with not just the bow, but different blades as well and knew she could take care of herself. That didn't mean he was comfortable with the thought of the princess encountering whatever spooked the animals.

"I won't stray far," Alex stated, brushing off his concern as she headed out. She had a gnawing in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain that it was no earthly force that caused this. If that was the case, she was the only one who could even attempt to discover the source. She couldn't risk any of the guards becoming a casualty to whatever this was. If Alderic was making a move to take the Highlands, she would need to let Elsa know immediately.

Alex's mouth twisted in a grimace at the thought of the last time she met with her. The Goddess warned her that tensions were rising between the Northern and Southern deities and war was only a matter of time between the factions. Alex had been able to school her features to prevent her feelings from showing; however the Goddess could still sense them. Elsa had assured her war was the last thing she wanted and was doing her best to prevent it. Alex merely bowed respectfully and remained silent.

She knew the Winter Goddess never made a decision without first considering any possible fallout and unintended causalities, and that she really was trying to avoid open conflict. That didn't do anything for the anger she felt bubbling just below the surface at the thought of all the innocent people who were caught in the crossfire of this feud. The Norse lands suffered for years as the unending winter gripped their lands, crippling their farming capabilities. It wasn't until Elsa had found a way to loosen her hold enough for the snow to melt and crops to grow, but not so much that would give Alderic an opening to take over during his domain of the summer that they were able to recover.

Pushing all of that out of her mind, Alex entered the mouth of the forest, longbow raised with a nocked arrow. Almost immediately she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise and knew she was being watched. Weighing the risks, Alex decided it would be best to leave the woods and confer with Elsa. She started to back out, never taking her eyes off the foliage, when she noticed the eyes on her. Angry green eyes started back at her from the shadows and she could hear a low growl.

The beast stepped out of the darkness revealing a giant bear with golden fur, snarling and focused on her. Alex used her gifts to reach out to the bear just to be mentally slapped away as the beast stood on her hind legs and roared. This was the cause of the panic in the stables. Alex could sense this was no ordinary bear, but another shape shifter. She tried to get a sense of the creature before her but all she could feel was anger.

Anger and… chaos.

"You are not welcome here," Alex said with a confidence she didn't necessarily feel. The bear roared again in response. "Alderic and his followers are not welcomed. This land is held by the Gods of the North. Leave, or face the wrath of Cailleach!"

The bear roared a final time before backing away, never taking her angry green eyes off Alex. Once she was sure the shape shifter was gone, she hurried out of the forest and made her way to Elsa's temple. She knew the Goddess would be angry with her, but she couldn't let that stop her from telling her aunt what had happened.

* * *

"What were you thinking," Elsa thundered. Anger didn't even begin to cover what the Goddess was feeling.

"Forgive me, Cailleach," Alex said as she kneeled, eyes lowered and head bowed. When she first started visiting the temple, the Goddess had revealed her true name to her niece and asked she refer to her as such. It had gone without saying that it was only when they were alone and shouldn't be used during certain interactions. Like now, when the Goddess looked like she was about to freeze over the Highlands in her anger. "I could sense the disturbance and I feared sending guards out to investigate would have only endangered their lives."

"So instead you endangered your own," the Goddess demanded. "You've caught the attention of one of Alderic's servants! How long do you think it will be until he sends one after you?"

"He already has," Alex answered quietly. She risked a glance at her aunt and elaborated, "It was servants from the Temple of the Summer God who killed Mother."

Elsa's anger quickly vanished. "Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I did not want to risk it becoming the catalyst that led to war. If my father found out what they did to her…" Alex's throat closed up at the memories and she closed her eyes in a futile attempt to stop the tears that had built up. She quietly cleared throat before saying, "If his temper is as bad as I've been told, he would have gone after Alderic, which would have led to war. A war your side started. I will not be the cause of that."

Elsa let out a tired sigh, the strain of the past seven years showing. "I understand why you hid that from me, but I need you to swear to me you'll never keep anything like that from me again."

"I swear it," Alex promised.

"Good," Elsa replied as she signaled for Alex to rise. She placed her hands on Alex's arms and looked over her niece with a proud smile before saying, "You knew how I would react to your actions today, yet you came straight here to tell me what you had done. That took no small amount of courage. Your father will be proud when he hears, as proud as I am."

"Hearing that you are proud of me means more than whatever opinion he might have," she replied, bowing slightly. "You have been more of a parent to me than him."

"Alex," the Goddess sighed, trying to make her niece understand.

"He abandoned me," Alex interrupted, eyes lit with a fire. "He abandoned my mother and he abandoned me when we both needed him. My whole life he has made a point to stay as far from me as possible. You were the one to take me in and raise me alongside my mother's family. You were the one who recognized me as your own when he publicly disavowed me."

Elsa wished she could defend her brother's action, but could not find the words. In truth, she was disappointed in her brother. She wasn't surprised Alex knew about what Vidar had done, but it did make it more difficult to arrange a reconciliation between the two.

"Perhaps it is better if we do not discuss this," Elsa said with a sad sigh. "You leave with your aunt tomorrow?"

"Yes. I can't wait to see Anna and Kristoff," Alex said with a smile.

"It'll be a long trip across the North Sea; you should head home so you can rest up for your journey."

"As you will," Alex said formally as she bowed to the Goddess. Before she could rise, her aunt had her wrapped in a tight hug.

"What have I told you about that," Elsa asked with a small smile.

"I am a Child of Winter, it is my place to serve."

"You are my blood first, never forget that," Elsa insisted. Alex responded by tightening her arms and quietly fighting a sob.

"Thank you for not abandoning me," she choked out as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I promised you I would always be there for you, dear one," the Elsa whispered fiercely into the trembling girl's ear, "I always keep my promises. Now off with you so you can get your rest."

Once they separated from the embrace, Alex bowed slightly to the Goddess before exiting the temple. Elsa watched her leave with a tender expression for a long minute before realizing how late it was getting; Anna would be sleeping soon. Elsa still had a matter she needed to discuss with some of the other Northern Gods, and she wanted to wrap it up as soon as she could so she could spend as much time as possible with her auburn haired beauty.

With a smile gracing her lips, Elsa raised her arms and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Elsa entered Anna's dreams that night intent on telling her who she really was. She had become more and more enchanted with Anna and knew the same was true for the other girl. Especially if their recent make out sessions were anything to go by, Elsa thought with a smirk.

The problem was that although Anna suspected that she wasn't just a figment of her imagination, she had no idea who Elsa really was. She had no idea how Anna would react when Elsa revealed the truth or if she would even believe her. '_I must try_,' Elsa thought to herself. Anna was too important to her not to. All thoughts of revealing herself to Anna went away as soon as she saw her love.

Anna was sitting on the ground, head in her hands as she sobbed. Shadow was sitting next to her, nuzzling the side of her head to comfort her. As soon as the wolf sensed Elsa's approach, she looked up and whined softly at the Goddess.

"Anna, what's wrong," Elsa asked, kneeling in front of the girl. She grabbed the hands blocking the girl's face and held them tightly in her hers as Anna composed herself.

"It's nothing," Anna hiccupped out.

"Clearly it's not 'nothing'," Elsa responded gently, letting go of one of Anna's hands so she could wipe away the tears still present. Once they were gone, she cupped her cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth in a motion that helped calm the auburn haired girl. "Please tell me what's wrong. You know how I hate to see you upset."

"What's it matter," she asked with a sad laugh. "Everyone knows I'm just a stupid kid."

"Who told you this," Elsa demanded, anger flaring in her ice blue eyes.

"It doesn't matter," she sighed. The defeated look in her eye broke Elsa's heart. "This is all just a dream, none of it's real…"

"Can you show me what happened," Elsa pleaded. "I want to help you. Please let me see what happened."

Anna closed her eyes and concentrated when suddenly the scenery shifted slightly. Elsa watched as the world shifted to the village square. Anna was walking with Kristoff, happily talking about the recent message she got from Alex promising she'd visit for Anna's birthday. Elsa couldn't help but smile as she felt the girl's excitement. Clearly Anna still hadn't figured out how to block her emotions from the memory she was showing, for which she was glad. Elsa wanted know exactly what had upset her love.

She felt Anna's mood shift as soon as she saw the village leader's daughter. Elsa remembered some of the stories Anna had told about this girl and knew she had to be the source of Anna's distress. Anna had never shown a memory with the girl before, so this was the first time Elsa had seen her. Although the girl had a pretty face with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she was short and rather heavy. Undoubtingly, if her father was not the leader of the village, she would not be nearly as popular.

"There goes Anna again, making up stories to try and sound important," Helga announced condescendingly as she overhead Anna talking about the DunBroch princess.

"I'm not making anything up," Anna insisted. Why did Helga have to show up? Her day had been going so well! "I don't make up stories! Alex is real! King Fergus came to our village!"

"True, but why would she be friends with a lowly hound master's daughter," Helga spit out. Shadow started growling low at her words, baring her teeth at the figment of the girl.

Truth was Anna had been starting to feel insecure in her friendship with Alex. She was a princess, in the direct line of succession for the throne of DunBroch. And although Alex always insisted she wasn't interested in things like titles and royal bloodlines, Anna had begun to wonder. Alex was someone special, even without the royal blood you could tell just by looking at her. Anna, however, well, she was just the hound master's daughter, a nobody. Shadow could also feel Anna's emotions and started whining, trying to nuzzle the girl's hands to comfort her.

"Oh yeah," Helga said as she snapped her fingers, acting like she'd just remembered something, "and what's this about you having a girlfriend? The one you keep saying you see every night."

"How do you know about that," Anna asked, embarrassed. She didn't think it was wise to fall in love with a dream, no matter how beautiful she was, but figured it was alright as long as no one knew about it. If Helga found out then it was only a matter of time until she told the whole village…

"It was impossible not to hear you gush to Kristoff the other day," the other girl explained with contempt. "Perfect skin, beautiful white blonde hair, ice blue eyes… that's quite the catch you've made."

"Leave her alone," Kristoff said angrily. Anna knew Kristoff didn't approve of her infatuation with Elsa, but he always protected her.

"So tell us, Anna, where did you meet her," Helga asked.

"Well… um… you see…"

"Come now," Helga egged on, "surely you remember where you met this _goddess_ of a woman." Elsa's eyes angrily narrowed the more she heard this girl talk and the more she felt Anna's humiliation. "Unless, of course, she isn't real…"

Anna looked at the ground trying to keep the tears back as she heard Helga lead the others on in mocking jeers. Even Kristoff's attempts to muffle them as they walked away didn't drown everything out. The memory faded to the sound of the girls' mocking laughter.

Elsa wrapped her arms tightly around the girl in front of her as the tears started again, doing her best to keep her anger in check. As much as she wanted to go after this girl, she had to be here for Anna. Anna was far more important than her desire for revenge.

"I wish you were real," Anna sobbed into her neck. "I wish I wasn't so awkward and that I was pretty…"

"Anna, look at me," Elsa demanded, moving back enough so Anna could move her head. But she didn't, instead burrowing it further into Elsa's neck. Normally she would have been reveling in the sensation; however, she had to convince Anna how wrong she was. She moved her hands from Anna's back to her cheeks, gently directing her face up. Elsa felt her heart clench at the sight of Anna's tear stained face. Once they finally made eye contact, Elsa said softly, "I don't want to hear you talk about yourself like that again."

"But it's true…"

"No it isn't," Elsa interrupted heatedly. "Of anyone I've ever known, mortal or God, you are the most kind hearted, beautiful, and pure spirited I have ever met. You captured my heart the moment the moment I laid eyes on you, _minn dýrr_. I love you, and I don't ever want to hear you speak ill of yourself again."

"Oh blessed Skadi, I wish you were real," Anna breathed, clearly affected by what Elsa said to her.

Elsa smirked internally at the irony of Anna unwittingly using one of her names as she wiped at the tears that had leaked out. "I told you, _minn dýrr_, I'm as real as you make me."

"I wish that were true, I wish I could see you outside my dreams."

"Soon, _minn dýrr_," Elsa said gently, as she pulled Anna into another embrace. She looked over at Shadow who had been silently keeping vigil. Directing her thoughts into the dire wolf, she said to her, _'I trust you to take care of this, dear one._'

The wolf tilted her head in understanding before quietly leaving the dream.

Elsa held Anna a bit longer before coming to a decision. Biting her lip nervously, she coaxed Anna to face her again. Once she had Anna's attention she said, "There's something I need to show you. Something I've never shown another being."

"What's that," Anna asked.

"Who I really am," Elsa answered, her nerves showing, "the whole story."


	10. Elsa of the North Mountain

A/N: I posted two chapters, so if you haven't seen it already, make sure you don't skip over chapter 9, otherwise you might be a little confused!

* * *

The bright morning sun rose behind the peak of the North Mountain, peaking through Elsa's window. Rousing herself, Elsa got up and groggily washed her face with the wash basin next to her bed, she always woke with the sun to help her parents with the morning chores. She quickly tied her raven black hair up in a quick braid as she rushed out of her room and out the door. As she walked outside she grabbed the bucket by the door and headed to the hen house.

Halfway through her morning routine, she felt like she was being watched. She looked out at the forest surrounding her home with her parents, but could see nothing in the foliage. Shrugging aside her concerns she turned her back to woods. Just as she was about to get back to work, she heard a low growl. Elsa turned in time to see a large dire wolf emerge and tackle her.

"Vidar," she said angrily, "this wasn't funny the first time you did this…"

The wolf seemed to smirk as he got off of her. Elsa stood, back to the wolf as she brushed herself off. When she turned back, her half-brother had turned back into his human form with a smirk firmly in place.

"Apologies, baby sister, but you know I can't help myself."

"Bastard," Elsa muttered as she hit his shoulder. The smile on her face proved there was no real heat in her words, and right after she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you. I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Yeah, well," he trailed off, avoiding his sister's eyes as she pulled away.

With an eye roll and sigh, Elsa asked, "Who is it this time?" Her brother's dalliance with ladies was infamous, and on more than one occasion had been chased home by an angry parent or spouse.

"Long story," he replied evasively, running a hand through his short black hair. They had both gotten their mother's black hair and dark blue eyes, but that's where the similarities between the half siblings ended. Elsa was exceptionally tall and pale due to her father being an ice giant, whereas Vidar had gotten his stocky, muscular build from his father, a shape shifter from the Celtic lands. At least that's what his mother told him, Vidar was too young to remember what he was like when his father died.

Their mother Idunn had been a powerful sorceress for a southern lord. When the lord had ordered her to use her magic to hurt innocent villagers, she had refused. Knowing her son would be the target of the lord's wrath, Idunn had taken him in the dead of night and fled. After weeks of travel she found herself on the North Mountain, where she met a giant named Thiassi who promised to protect them from the southern lord in exchange for her help. His village had been cursed by an angry god and only magic could break the enchantment. Idunn agreed, and helped the villagers, who in their gratitude helped keep the lord from getting near her or her son.

In the following years, Vidar's mother and the giant grew closer. By the time Vidar was eight they were married and welcoming his baby sister. Although he always missed his father, he was grateful to Thiassi for taking him in and raising him as his own son.

Vidar, like his father, was both an immortal and a shape shifter. He may not have been have had his own domain to rule over he still had responsibilities dictated to him by other members of the Pantheon, although Elsa had no idea what they entailed. It required him to constantly travel, where he picked up the reputation of a ladies man, a reputation that got him into trouble more often than not.

Elsa sighed as she chastised her older brother, "You know Mother worries for you."

"I know," he said sheepishly. "It wasn't completely my fault this time. Don't worry, it'll blow over, I just have to lay low for a little while. Now come on, let's finish up those chores of yours so we can make breakfast and surprise everyone," he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Alright," she replied, allowing herself to be led to the barn where the cows were. "I really did miss you, and I know Mother did too, no matter how worried she'll be when she sees you."

"I know, _systir_, I missed you too."

* * *

It was almost an hour later the siblings were leaving the barn and heading towards the house, Elsa carrying the eggs and Vidar carrying the buckets with the milk. They were laughing over a story he was telling when they were interrupted by screaming coming from behind their home. Putting their loads down, both quickly ran to see what was going on. They stood frozen in place at the sight that greeted them.

Idunn and Thiassi were on the ground, unmoving, and two people stood above them. Elsa recognized them as Loki, God of Winter, and his wife, Cersei, Goddess of Summer. The God of Winter had elegant robes of black and dark blue, contrasting with his short white hair and ice blue eyes. The Goddess of Summer stood behind and to the right of her husband, in a forest green long sleeved dress that matched her eyes and complimented her blonde hair in an intricate bun.

"Mother," Elsa yelled as she ran up and collapsed next to them, "Father!" She couldn't understand what was happening. She tried to reach for her parents, but Vidar had appeared from behind her and pulled her to himself, keeping her from getting to close.

"Don't touch their bodies," he whispered fiercely in her ear. "You don't know what's been done to them."

"So cautious, shape shifter," the God of Winter said condescendingly. "Too bad you weren't earlier. I warned you to stay away from my daughters; this is what you get for failing to listen and violating one of them."

"Aurora approached me," Vidar said between clenched teeth. "And your problem was with me, you should have left my family alone!"

"The more painful the lesson, the longer the sting will stay in your memory," replied the Goddess of Summer with one eyebrow raised.

Elsa was in shock, scarcely able to follow the conversation swirling around her. She couldn't take her eyes off her parent's death masks, they didn't look like anything like themselves. Her father's normally pale completion looked sunburned and his normally white hair fiery red, and her mother's raven hair was snow white. Her parents clearly had warning of whatever attack had come from the deities, her father had his longbow still in his hand, an arrow on the ground nearby.

"What did you do to them," Elsa choked out around tears.

"A fitting punishment for your brother's crimes," Loki said, dismissing her. He turned to the Summer Goddess, "Perhaps you should return to Aurora, I can finish humbling this boy."

"Of course, dear," Cersei replied with little emotion. "Try not to take too long."

As soon as the Goddess of Summer disappeared, Loki turned to Vidar and caused a giant long sword of ice to appear in his hand. "Now, boy, I just need to make sure you don't sully any other maidens and I can be on my way. If you play nice, I might even leave your little sister alone."

"Go to Hel," Vidar snarled, standing in front of his sister protectively. She could see the anger in her brother, but also the fear. Something inside Elsa snapped. Without thinking, she grabbed her father's bow, nocked the arrow that had been nearby, and launched it at the God of Winter.

With his attention on Vidar, he never saw the arrow coming, and it struck its mark, finding its home in his left eye.

As soon as the arrow hit, a bolt of energy shot out of the Winter God and straight to Elsa. Had she been standing, she would have collapsed to her knees. It was painful in its intensity, and forced her to slam her eyes shut as she tried just to breath. She felt Vidar crouch next to her, pulling her into his arms so that she sat on his lap and buried her face into his chest.

"What's happening to me," Elsa gasped out between spasms.

"I don't know," Vidar answered worriedly, "but I'm right here. I'll be alright, _systir_, just breath." His fear creeped into his voice, but Elsa couldn't tell in her haze. Truth was he was scared he was going to lose the last member of his family. She was convulsing in his arms and her hair had lost all pigment, becoming as white as his mother's hair now was.

After what felt like an eternity, her convulsions stopped. Vidar held his breath, becoming fearful when she didn't move. Finally she opened her eyes, and he did his best to keep his face still. Her eyes had changed from dark blue like his to an ice blue. A thought formed at what could have happened, causing his stomach to clench in fear.

"Vidar," she questioned. Elsa didn't know how, but it was almost as if she could sense what her brother was feeling, and she could tell just how afraid he was.

Before he could answer, she sensed the approach of others. She didn't know where this ability came from and it scared her. Elsa looked to the left to see the Summer Goddess approach, anger propelling her forward. Behind her trailed a large man with white hair and a large white beard. He looked around contemplatively as Cersei stopped near them.

"You," screeched the Summer Goddess, "you killed my husband!"

"Calm yourself, Cersei," the man said placidly.

"Calm," she demanded, whirling to face the man behind her. "They murdered my husband in cold blood, stole my son's inheritance, and you want me to be calm?"

"May I see your bow," the man asked Elsa, a friendly smile on his face. Due to whatever had happened to her, she knew that he wasn't a threat. She held out the bow for him, and he took it with a nod in thinks.

"Just as I thought," he said after examining the bow. "This was forged by my father's smithy, Hephaestus. You can see his mark here," he said, pointing to a mark just below the grip. "Only a weapon forged by a god can kill a god, even with a shot as good as yours."

"What's this have to do with anything, Odin," Cersei demanded.

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise, and she nervously stuttered, "Y-you're Odin."

"Yes, young one," he replied with another friendly smile. The smile vanished as he turned to the Summer Goddess. "If I remember right, this bow was given to an ice giant in thanks for helping the Lame God; you'll forgive me if I don't remember all the details of the story. May I presume the bow's previous owner is a decedent of that giant," Odin asked, looking over at Elsa and Vidar.

Vidar nervously cleared his throat and answered, "Thiassi used to tell a story like that about one of his ancestors."

"I see," Odin replied. "And the woman next to him is your mother, the sorceress Idunn?"

"Yes," Vidar again answered.

"Now I've never met either of your parents, but I was under the impression you got your black hair from her."

"That's true," Vidar replied as Cersei narrowed her eyes in anger, sensing where the conversation was heading.

"And may I assume, being an ice giant, Thiassi's skin tone wasn't naturally this red?"

"It was the same as my sister's," the shape shifter confirmed.

"I'm also going to assume he did not have red hair."

"It was white."

"I don't know what you hope to gain with this line of questioning," the Summer Goddess interrupted angrily, "but that does nothing to change the fact they murdered my innocent husband while I sat at home with my daughter, the daughter that this _beast_ violated," she said heatedly, pointing at Vidar.

"It would be easier to believe that statement if the daughter in question wasn't well known for whoring herself out," Odin retorted, his anger finally showing.

Cersei's face turned bright red as she said, "How dare you…"

"It's obvious what was done here. You and your late husband have long overstepped your authority, but murdering innocents? That's too far," he said, his voice starting to rise in anger. "You're lucky I don't add your lifeless body to his!"

"You do not have the authority-"

"Silence," Odin roared so loud even the North Mountain seemed to tremble. "You and your children are banished from these lands! Another will be given the power over summer for the north."

"What of my son's inheritance," Cersei said angrily, glaring at Elsa.

"This woman will retain what my son so carelessly threw away when he decided to slaughter innocents," Odin replied, his voiced cold.

"You cannot-"

"Push this and I will remove you entirely from your domain and give it to another, leaving your children with nothing! Now be gone," he ordered.

"This isn't over," Cersei said angrily, venom dripping from her voice as she disappeared.

Once she was gone, and uneasy silence fell over the three. Vidar was the first to break it by clearing his throat and asking, "So is it true? Is my sister the new Goddess of Winter?"

Odin sighed before turning to look at the siblings. Elsa was still in her older brother's lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her. It was obvious she was shaken by everything that had happened, but he could see her inner strength. He looked the frightened woman in the eyes as he answered, "Yes."

"What," she asked wearily, "I don't understand."

Odin crouched in front of the pair so he could be eye level with her as he tried to think of the best way to answer. "It's somewhat complicated, but I'll try to explain. When a God dies-"

"How can a god die," Elsa interrupted. "You're immortal."

"Elsa," Vidar hissed, fearful at Odin's reaction for interrupting him.

"It's alright," Odin assured the shape shifter, "it was a fair question." He turned back to Elsa and answered, "It's not the person who is immortal, it is the soul. My father, Zeus, died in a mighty battle when his brother Hades tried to steal his throne. When a god dies, his or her soul is drawn to any living children they have, unless the soul is intercepted by another deity. Only a weapon forged by the God of the Smith can kill a god in battle, because no ordinary weapon can kill us. You see, the weapons forged by Hephaestus act as a lightning rod, pulling the soul out of the host and towards whomever slayed the god. Fortunately, I was able to intercept my father's soul to keep it from Hades. Had he been the one to receive it, he would have inherited my father's strength and his coup would have been successful. But his strength became mine and after destroying my uncle I took my father's throne."

"Did you also take your uncle's soul," Elsa asked.

"No," he answered. "Collecting too many souls can overwhelm the body, ripping it apart, killing the host. I passed it on to Hades' daughter, Hel, and gave her control of his domain of the Underworld after she swore fealty to me."

"So when I killed Loki with my father's bow, one forged by Hephaestus, it pulled his soul to me?"

"And you became the Goddess of Winter and the Hunt," Odin finished. "It was the birthright of his firstborn, Alderic. A birthright his father threw away because of his actions today."

"If the soul isn't passed on until the god's death, how can a god's children be immortal," Elsa asked.

"A fragment of each immortal parent's soul is given when the child is sired. It acts as signal for the soul when the parent dies. The soul will then divide itself to however many children the god conceived. The strength of the child is determined by much of the soul they receive. It's why siblings will usually kill each other off before their parent's death so they may receive the most power. Don't worry," Odin said, raising both arms, "all this and more will be explained to you. For now, we must leave, there is much that must be done."

"Come on, _systir_," Vidar whispered in Elsa's ear.

"No," Elsa replied, standing on shaky legs. "Not until we've buried our family."

"Elsa," Vidar started, trying to convince his sister defying the head of the Pantheon wasn't in her best interest. She turned to face him, fire in her eyes.

"They're dead because of you," she said angrily. Unbeknownst to her, the temperature dropped, and dark clouds started to form directly above them, threatening a fierce storm. "Because you couldn't keep it in your pants they were murdered like dogs, and now I'm suddenly a Goddess with powers I don't want. All of this is your fault, so no, _bróðir_, I'm not going anywhere until we bury them. It's the least you can do."

Vidar stood and hung his head. "I'll go get shovels," he muttered as he walked away.

Odin waited until the shape shifter was out of earshot before saying, "Do not be too hard on him. He had no way to know this would have happened when he went to bed with that girl. The guilt he feels is obvious, as is his devotion to you."

"I know," Elsa said, fighting tears. "I just can't leave them like this."

Odin looked her over before saying, "There is no weakness in morning what you have lost. Bury your family and say your farewell. I will meet you at my temple, Vidar knows the way."

Elsa watched him disappear just as Vidar reappeared with two shovels. The pair worked in silence, digging the graves side by side under a large evergreen. Once the task of burying their parents was finished, they took turns saying their goodbyes.

Elsa looked over the land she'd grown up on, her heart breaking. She could hear the animals in the barn, and was suddenly concerned for their wellbeing. She almost laughed at herself; her parents were gone, the life she knew was over, and she was worried about what would happen to a few stupid animals…

"Don't worry about them," Vidar said, guessing his sister's thoughts. "After I take you to Odin, I'll make sure they're not left here to die."

"Thank you," she replied quietly. She tried to think of how to reach out to her brother to make for what she had said, but couldn't think of anything that seemed adequate.

"Come on," Vidar said with a sigh. "I'll show you how to transport yourself so you can be on your way. Best not to keep Odin waiting…"

* * *

Several hours later, Elsa walked with Odin through one of the many passages of his temple complex.

"I'm still not sure what I should be doing," Elsa confessed during one of their lulls in conversation.

"The Hag will work with you," Odin assured her.

"The Hag?"

"Or the witch, but I personally prefer Hag," he replied with a smile. "Loki killed her husband, who was the previous God of Winter. Before he could absorb all of his soul, she was able to take some for herself and banished Loki from the Celtic lands where she reigns as the Goddess of Winter."

"And he listened?"

"She's also the Goddess of Death," Odin explained. "Suffice it to say, Loki never wished to endure her wrath."

"Why is she helping me," Elsa asked.

"Because for as much as she didn't care for Loki, she hates Cersei. Training you to take the role her firstborn would have had will anger the Summer Goddess, and that apparently amuses the Hag to no end." He saw the worried expression worn by the Pantheon's newest deity and said, "Don't worry so much. You'll figure all this out, for all the stories about her, the Hag isn't as bad as she's made out to be. Just complement all her bear wood carvings," Odin advised.

Before Elsa could question his unusual statement she found herself standing in front of a woman who looked old enough to have been alive before the Heavens were formed. She was hunched, using a cane to support herself. Her features were grizzled and showed signs of a hard life, or a long one at the very least. For as old as she seemed, Elsa could see a sharp mind in the eyes that examined her.

"So, you're the mutt's half-sister," the old woman stated still looking Elsa over. Before she could respond, the Hag nodded her head and stated, "Yup, you'll do. Run off now Odin, I'll guide this young'un."

"Good luck," Odin wished Elsa before taking his leave.

"Tell me, child, what exactly do you know of your place," the Hag asked, looping her free arm through Elsa's left arm.

"What little Odin told me," she confessed.

"I was afraid of that," she said with a sigh. "Vidar's a good man, like his father, but not very good at paying attention to the roles of those around him. Also like his father," she said with a rueful grin.

"You knew Vidar's father," Elsa asked. She didn't know much about him, except that he was a shape shifter like Vidar.

"Skade? I knew him well enough," she answered. "Youngest of five of the late God of the Forest. He didn't get along well with his siblings, all but one were always trying to kill him."

"Odin explained about the sibling rivalries for their parents' power."

"That was part of it, but the other was he was a bastard with some human woman who caught their father's fancy. Didn't matter what the three boys tried, Skade was always able to outsmart them. Until one day they didn't leave him any choice and he had to kill them for his own survival. His half-sister helped him, never having much love for her other brothers. To thank her, he gave her two of the three souls, and went off to find his place in the Norse lands. It's where he met your mother, and sired his only son."

"What happened to his sister?"

"Pocahontas took her father's place as Goddess of the Forest upon her father's passing."

"How did Skade die," Elsa asked hesitantly.

"He was helping Odin fight off the Jotunn the last time they invaded Asgard. They're man eating giants," she explained at Elsa's confused look. "He fought well, almost making it out of the battle unscathed. It was the last one who was able to call upon some last reserve of strength to shove his sword into his neck. He died well," the hag said matter of factly, "did us all proud."

"Does Vidar know this story?"

"He asks to hear the tale every time he visits with the Muses," she laughed.

"Sounds like him," Elsa said with a smile

"Enough of history lessons," the old woman said, sobering up. "You must now be presented to the Pantheon where you'll be announced as the next Goddess of Winter. It's there you'll give the name you choose to go by."

"What do you mean?"

"Every deity must decide what the mortals refer to them as. Some chose their given names, but most pick a new name to be called. Mine is Cailleach."

"Cailleach? But Odin called you…"

"The Hag," she finished when Elsa trailed off. "It's how many refer to me, blaming me for the snow or the fact everyone must die. It doesn't bother me, I mostly ignore them and focus on my wood cutting. It helps me relax. Ah here we are, the great hall," she announced as they stopped in front of a pair of giant wooden doors. "Are you ready?"

"No," Elsa said, overwhelmed.

"Too bad, in ya go!" With a strength that seemed to come out of nowhere, the old woman shoved Elsa through the doors. She almost landed on her face, and was able to catch herself in the nick of time. She was silently congratulating herself on this feat when she looked up just to see she was standing at the front of a room jam packed with people. Elsa's face reddened as she realized she had almost face planted in front of the entire Pantheon.

Odin approached her with a smirk. "Still think I was harsh to call her a hag?"

"Not anymore," Elsa muttered.

Odin barked out a laugh, before putting his left arm around her shoulder and facing the rest of the Pantheon. Elsa was able to recognize a few present from their representations in their respective temples, but most were unknown to her. She did note that the Goddess of Summer was nowhere to be found.

As Odin spoke, introducing her to the other deities, Elsa made eye contact with her brother. She could see the hurt in his eyes and sense his pain. Nervously biting her lip, she reached out to try a sense exactly what he was feeling. She was almost overwhelmed by the strength of his grief, and his belief that he should not still be alive. He believed Elsa hated him and did not feel like he ever deserved her forgiveness for what he had done.

She was pulled from this when she felt Odin's eyes on her. Turning to face him, she said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I was distracted. Could you repeat that?"

"What name do you wish the mortals to know you as?"

Glancing back at her brother, she suddenly had a realization on how she could extend an olive branch to him.

Looking out over the assembled Gods and Goddess, she said loudly, "I will go as Skadi."

Her brother's head shot up, and they made eye contact again as Odin said, "As you wish. Go now and meet your new brothers and sisters."

She made her way through the crowd, accepting congratulations from those she passed as she approached her brother.

When she finally stood in front of him, neither spoke, both unsure what to say. Finally, Vidar asked, "Why did you choose that name?"

"Because it's the female version of your father's name. He was a hero and deserves to be remembered." Elsa tentively put her arms on his shoulders and said, "You're my brother and the only family I have left. I don't want to lose you too."

Vidar responded by pulling her into a hug and weeping loudly into her shoulder. She held her brother until he had no more tears left in him. They quietly made their way to a large couch in front of one of the many fireplaces that littered the hall. They sat in silence before Vidar broke with a small laugh. Looking at her brother curiously, he said, "You're the Goddess of the Hunt."

"Among other things," Elsa responded, still not understanding her brother's amusement.

"I'm a dire wolf," he explained. Seeing she still didn't understand, he clarified, "It means I answer to you, my baby sister." They stared at each other for a minute before they both started laughing so hard tears were running.

"Could this day get anymore surreal," Elsa asked, once they had both calmed down.

"Probably not," Vidar replied.

They sat and watched the fire in companionable silence for a while longer before making their way to their separate rooms provided to them to settle in for the night.

The following months saw Elsa's time dominated by Cailleach, learning to control her abilities and how to balance her power with the other deities of the seasons. Fortunately it was spring, so she had some time to learn how to control her abilities. Or she would have, if the Southern Gods hadn't declared open war with the Northern Gods. Cersei led the southern deities, using the supposed crimes against her family as a rallying cry.

The Summer Goddess had underestimated the strength of the North, and after a short, but brutal war, Cersei lay dead at the feet of Odin, her body littered with arrows from Elsa's bow. Her thirteen sons and three daughters all knelt behind their mother's body, hands and feet bound. The only one who did not have her hands bound was the oldest daughter, who was holding a golden haired baby.

Elsa stood to Odin's right, bow in hand and her brother standing behind her. She was no longer the timid woman who'd had the role of Winter Goddess unwillingly thrust upon her. Due to her position as the Goddess of Winter, she was forced to assume the position of one of Odin's top generals and with the help of her brother and the Goddess of Death, she'd managed to lead those she commanded to key victories, earning her the respect of the rest of the Pantheon.

Now with the Goddess of Summer dead, at Elsa's hand, they had received the unconditional surrender of the South. All the rebelling deities had agreed to the punishment handed out by Odin and swore their fealty to him. All that was left to deal with was the fate of Cersei's children.

"I should have all your heads for everything caused by your family," Odin said angrily. "However, since all this started because of crimes against the Winter Goddess, I leave your fate in her hands."

"Me," Elsa demanded. Odin nodded as Elsa looked over the children. '_Children_,' she internally scoffed. The youngest was born almost a century before her.

"Alderic, do you and your siblings swear fealty to Odin and the will of the Pantheon as well as give up all claims to the dominion of winter?" He glared up at her through the blonde hair covered half his face, hate in his forest green eyes. "I have no desire to execute you and your kin," Elsa stated coolly. "That does not mean I wouldn't hesitate to do so."

"Think carefully on your answer lad," Vidar warned. "The lives of your family depend on you."

"You mean the life of your daughter," Alderic snarled at the shape shifter, indicating with his head towards the infant in his sister's arms. He turned to glare at the Winter Goddess once more, before growling out, "On the graves of my parents, I give my oath to serve Odin and the will of the Pantheon. I also give up the claim to my birthright, now and forever, to the domain of winter. As the head of what is left of my family, I speak for all of us."

Elsa turned to Odin, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "The crimes were not committed by them, but their parents. They deserve the chance to redeem their names, and perhaps, in time, earn your trust enough for this," the Winter Goddess said as she transferred the soul of the Summer Goddess to Odin.

"Very well," he said before turning back to Alderic and his siblings. Elsa watched as he gave each of the children a role in a probational status. "Be thankful she was the one who decided your fate, for what I had planned for you lot would have ended far worse."

Once she had been dismissed, Elsa went in search of Cailleach. She found the old woman in a little shack in the woods, working on yet another wood carving of a bear.

"Ah, good to see you dear," Cailleach said as soon as Elsa entered. "I was hoping to get a chance to say goodbye."

"Are you going somewhere," Elsa asked with a small smile, leaning against a wall. It had taken sometime, but the old woman had grown on her, and she considered her one of her few friends.

"Soon," she answered evasively. "Odin, don't just stand there like an idiot, come in."

Elsa turned to see her friend shyly enter. "I didn't mean to intrude; I just wished to talk to Elsa."

"Don't you worry about that, you'll have her alone soon enough, for now it's my time. I heard about your decision concerning the children of the Summer Goddess. Most would have killed them without another thought. Why didn't you?"

"They were just following their parents," Elsa said defensively. "Any of us would have done the same. They deserved a second chance."

"Merciful," Cailleach said almost to herself as she put the finishing touches on her carving, "another reason to choose you."

"Excuse me," Elsa asked.

"Tell me dearie," Cailleach said as if she had never spoken, "did Odin ever tell you the ways a God can die?"

"Just that they can fall in battle," Elsa replied, unsure where the conversation was going.

"That's one way," she agreed, giving her piece a final look over before placing her wood crafting tools to the side. "Another is if a deity has lived so long their body becomes too tired to continue."

"Cailleach, you're not that old," Odin interjected.

"Boy, I was ancient when your father was still a young man," she said with smirk. Properly chastised, he quieted down and let her speak. "My time has come and I had no children. I want to pass my soul onto you and give you control of my domain of death."

"I-I don't want-" Elsa tried to say, but was quickly interrupted.

"I wasn't asking girl," Cailleach said with a cackle. "I told you I'm giving it to you. You have wisdom and mercy, traits needed to be the Mistress of Death. Make sure she knows what she's doing, Odin. Would be disastrous if she screwed this one up. Bye now!"

Just like that the old woman disappeared, and Elsa felt an energy course through like when she killed Loki, but not as intense. As soon as it had passed, she looked at Odin who just sighed and said, "Looks like we have a few more things to go over…"

* * *

When Elsa had become the Goddess of Winter, every temple in the north had replaced Loki's likeness with hers and she made sure all the priests were paying homage to her instead of him. However, Elsa did not take the same steps to replace her likeness with Cailleach, she even allowed the Celtic world to use that name instead of making them take Skadi. When questioned, she defended her actions, stating it was important that they simply remembered the Goddess of Winter and Death, who they pictured as they did so was irrelevant.

As time went on, she became less and less like the warm and happy young girl she had been before and slowly turned into the distant Ice Goddess. She kept away from most of the other deities, Vidar and Belle being her only real confidants, and she had only let the Dream Goddess in because of she refused to let Elsa shut her out.

After the war most of the Northern Gods saw her as a leadership figure, despite her relative youth, and viewed her authority second only to Odin. He might have seen that as a threat if she had not made it obvious she had no desire to usurp his authority.

For the most part her life was dominated by her responsibilities as the Goddess of Winter and Death, completing the same routines every day, never deviating from her course. Until almost two and a half centuries later Alderic decided to renew the feud between the North and South, once again thrusting Elsa into a role she did not want. The only difference was this time she didn't have Odin to stand at her side. She regretted being at odds with her close friend and a man who had done so much to help her.

Truth was, she was feeling lost with the rising tensions. She knew she was doing the right thing in theory, but she was starting to doubt her actions. What was she really accomplishing by withdrawing from the Pantheon? Clearly that didn't change anything, as the Southern Gods were still behaving abdominally towards the mortals. All her actions truly accomplished was isolating the North from everyone else, making it easier to be attacked…

Brushing those thoughts aside, she went to DunBroch for her festival at the fall equinox. She always made a point of attending, and the enthusiasm of the Highlanders always made her smile and seemed to lighten her burdens.

When she arrived the night before, she noticed celebrating at the castle and went to investigate. She watched as King Fergus announced his granddaughter's safe return and introduced the Hound Master's family to the assembled revelers to be lauded as heroes responsible for her safe return, laughing to herself at Kristoff's obvious discomfort. She was trying to catch sight of the prodigal granddaughter when something else caught her attention, causing her world to stop.

A beautiful girl, no older than ten, with auburn hair in twin braids and a blue dress with gold trim was next to Kristoff, standing out amongst her family almost as if she was glowing. It took Elsa a while to realize that it was her soul, pure and kind, causing her to shine like that.

All Elsa knew was that for a brief moment in time, it was almost as if the past two and a half centuries never happened, and in that instant everything fell away. She was that happy farm girl again and everything was simple: this girl was beautiful and Elsa wanted her. But more than that, she wanted to love this girl and be loved in return. It was such as strong urge, she had to force herself to fight claiming her right then. That would be unfair to this girl, and she didn't deserve that. Instead Elsa decided she would court her, although she would have to think on the best way to do that.

The Winter Goddess was touched the next day by the gift Anna had left at her alter and even more so by the heartfelt words she had said before hand. It was that day she had decided the best way to get to know Anna – and for Anna to get to know her – was to enter her dreams. She intentionally made herself Anna's age so she would be more approachable.

The Winter Goddess had entered just in time. Hans, the God of Chaos and Alderic's youngest brother, had invaded Anna's dream posing as a fog and almost forced his claim upon her. She drove him off, and made sure with the help of Belle that he and his brothers would not be able to enter again.

The next few years were the happiest Elsa could remember, even before she became a Goddess. Every day she felt her feelings for the auburn haired girl grow, stronger than she even though possible…

* * *

The memory ended, and Anna felt her head spinning at the strength of the emotions that were attached. Had she not already been sitting she undoubtingly would have collapsed.

"I-I don't understand," Anna said, overwhelmed.

"Just breathe, _minn dýrr_," Elsa replied, tentatively placing a hand on Anna's back.

_"_Why me," Anna gasped out. "If you're really a goddess why would you choose a nobody like me?"

"You're not a nobody," Elsa said passionately as she placed her hands on either side of Anna's face. "Don't ever think that of yourself! I choose you because I love you! For the first time in forever you helped me feel alive. You give me the strength I need to get through everything Alderic tries to throw at me to start a war. You're my everything, Anna," Elsa said as she pulled Anna into an embrace and wrapped her arms around her back.

Anna buried her face into the crook of Elsa's neck and started sobbing, her emotions finally getting the better of her. "Please don't let this just be a dream," she choked out.

"It's not," Elsa assured her love, "and as soon as I can I'll prove it to you."

* * *

A/N2: So, lot of information for this world put out that may not have made much sense. I'll sum up in case I confused some people:

-The Gods can die, it's the soul that is immortal  
-Souls are passed on to the children of Gods unless God is killed in battle, in which case the soul is drawn to whoever killed them  
-Whenever a God sire's a child, a small fragment of each parent's soul is given to the child at conception, acting as a receiver for their parent(s)'s soul once they die (unless taken by another God in battle)  
-The parent's soul is equally divvied up between number of children sired  
-A God's strength is dependent upon what percentage of their parent's soul they receive, usually causing a rivalry between siblings, but not always the case  
-Collecting too many souls can overwhelm a God's body, killing him  
-If a God lives too long, the body can give out, but takes a really long time

The Jotunn are part of Norse mythology. The Gods and Goddess were always fighting them off from invading Asgard, where Valhalla was located.

Yes, I know Cersei Lannister isn't Disney, but when trying to think of a good villain to make the Goddess of Summer and raise a little shit like Alderic, she was the best one that came to mind.

That should cover the basic points. If any one is still confused, PM me and I'll be happy to explain. At over 6500 words, didn't want to draw this chapter out anymore with long explanations...


End file.
